Finding Hope with a Christmas Carol
An essay about the carol, O Come O Come Immanuel. How Christmas carols bring hope.
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Jesus
Asking the Hard Questions
He was young and bright — this college student who wanted to pursue creative writing. We met at a local coffee shop, two creatives sharing a gift, though decades apart in age. The hazelnut blend he drank mellowed the atmosphere while I played with the tail end of my English Breakfast tea bag. He took
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Finding Our True Color
My cyclamen bloomed a lovely fuchsia pink. But I bought it with the understanding that it would produce the dark eggplant purple I love. What a disappointing surprise as the blossoms opened and showed off their deep pink. But a few days later, the blooms started changing. With time, the cyclamen sported the purple I
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Wisdom Writings
As an author, I always hope my words will impact my readers. But sometimes this goal reverses. Sometimes I find myself changed by another writer’s work. For me, that writer is Anne Lamott. Several years ago, I was thrilled to attend a presentation by Anne Lamott. She was, as I expected, witty as well as
What Jesus Would NOT Do
To keep an open mind and fully underscore our value systems, I believe it is important to listen to both sides of an argument. Learn the merits of civil debate. As a writer, I research and analyze characters, settings, and the ever-changing plotlines of life. The power of the story. The current story we humans
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Blessings from the Littles
She reached out to touch my hand, her pudgy toddler fingers soft and warm. Dark brown Hispanic eyes twinkled with joy as we played peek-a-boo around her mother’s shoulder. I would have given her mother $20 to let me hold this precious daughter. But then maybe the spell of our game would have ended. We
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Silent Saturday
When we observe Holy Week, we often focus on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday. But a spiritually important topic emerges on what I call ‘Silent Saturday.’ Imagine those early Jesus followers in the first century. Their champion had been brutally murdered by the Roman empire at the instigation of the Jewish religious leaders.
The Value of Women
Maybe it’s because I worked six years for a faith-based women’s center. Or maybe it’s because I have known so many incredible women with amazing giftings. Maybe it’s because we are in the middle of International Women’s Month. For whatever reason, the topic of valuing women is front and center. Growing up in a legalistic
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Finding Hope in the Pain
What is the difference between the pain of growing and the pain of suffering? Neither type of pain is comfortable and most of us try to avoid all pain. We want life to be struggle free, even if we have to ask the doctor for a prescription to ease our suffering. But is there a
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Living with True Strength
As a former athlete, I fully admit I still love watching sports. Of course, like most folks — I have my favorite teams. But I tend to cheer most during the college football and basketball seasons and for my team in the NFL. In fact, I am known as a ‘yeller.’ Not afraid to cheer
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