During the last two weeks, three people at separate times have told me, “You are a treasure.” I know this is a compliment and I truly appreciate the sentiment. At the same time, I am a bit nonplussed to be described as such. When I think of treasure, my first impression is an antiquity. The …
After a recent trip to my hometown, I was struck again with the functional differences between the KC Metro and Enid, Oklahoma. In my hometown, most businesses close for Easter to allow families time together. The majority of signs and billboards carry the graphic of either a cross or an empty tomb while the local …
During a recent trip to Fort Scott, Kansas, my friend and I discovered a wonderful coffee shop. Our chai lattes tasted spicy yet mellow, and the missional atmosphere of this shop impressed us. Their bookshelves were filled with classics and some Christian fiction. I donated the Reverend G books and promised to bring the third …
Many of you who follow my blog have expressed that you were praying for me this week. Thank you. To honor your kindness, I’d like to share with you the 11 insights God gave me during Sabbatical. Some of them are, of course, repeats – those marching-around-Mount-Sinai-truths we all know. But when God repeats something, …
Because of our busy schedules, we rarely see each other. This boy child who has become a man in such a short time – my only living child, my son. Yet each time we are together, the emotional bond feels as strong as if we had never experienced a separation. We sit in the living …
Several people I know, including myself, are muddling through transitions. Some of these uncomfortable places feel like restlessness or that awkward limbo when we try to figure out God’s will for a new season. Some transitions happen automatically because of the seasons of life: the empty nest, a new job or a special calling from …
Except for sports and the news, I watch little TV. But one show intrigues me, and I am beginning to become a fan. “Undercover Boss” creates a situation where the boss disguises himself or herself and goes undercover to discover how the business really works. Usually the boss realizes that working in the factory or …
My crisis may have been a byproduct of SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder – this blasted gloominess that begins in the sky, then wraps itself around my soul. It definitely resulted from an unexpected car repair which set me back almost $700. And it probably came as a result that today is my mother’s birthday …
Because one of my core values is life-long learning, I am always reading and scouting out new resources. As a writer, I yearn to pen unique words or phrases that leave my readers with their own a-ha moments, something to think about all day, some treasure that leaves a taste of hope in their lives. …
For several hours on New Year’s Day, my son and I shredded old receipts and files from 2004. Tax professionals report that we only need to keep 10 years of receipts, so to make room for the 2014-2015 files – we shredded the past. As I looked through those files, I remembered the fun and …