“I always believed in God. I didn’t always know He believed in me.” -Matt Maher from Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers
I heard those words as I sat in the dark movie theater. It was a record-screeching, everything comes to a halt, moment.
I grabbed my phone and the friend next to me simply said, “Yup.” She had heard it too, ... Read More
I’m not above bribery.
This morning I woke up to find a note next to my computer:
“MOM
When I wake up ask me about Psalm 23. I know it but I will forget to do it for you if you don’t remind me.”
I have three children, but the one who left this note didn’t need to sign it. He knows ... Read More
Left or right, Dad? Left. Up or down? Down.
The ornaments were laid out on the tray table in front of my father. As I picked each one up, I’d ask him where we should put it.
This is the first tree my dad and I have decorated together in at least 25 years. I was 21 and he was 58. Both ... Read More
Saul is a college basketball coach. He came home from practice the other night, and as usual, called out, “Hellooooo!” as he opened the door.
As usual, he dropped his work stuff on the floor and headed straight to the kitchen.
After he got some food in his belly, he returned to the couch, as usual, and opened his computer.
Once he got ... Read More
Please don’t call me busy.
Busy means I don’t have time to talk on the phone.
Busy means I can’t come to your house for coffee.
Busy means there are more important things in life than you.
And that’s simply not true.
If I tell you I’m too busy, it means I’ve done a bad job of creating margins in my life.
It means I need ... Read More
Have you ever had a MONDAY that lasted all day?
I had one a few weeks ago and it wasn’t pretty.
I woke up crabby. I took my son to school crabby. I went to Pickleball crabby. Then the crabby turned to sad. I ate cookies sad. I read a book sad. I took a nap sad.
Eventually, I wandered into my office ... Read More
Being lost is such a scary feeling.
I remember being lost in the hilly one-way streets of Athens, Ohio a few days after we had moved to town. The panic started to rise in my throat until it reached my eyes and flowed out as tears. I pulled over and called my husband at work. Repeatedly. Until he finally answered.
His voice ... Read More
I need a Year of Jubilee. How about you?
What is a Year of Jubilee, you ask?
Think of a Mardi Gras celebration that covers the entire nation for an entire year.
Now take away the sex, booze, and parades. Add in a whole lot of forgiveness.
That’s the Year of Jubilee.
In the Old Testament, we learn the Year of Jubilee happened every 50 ... Read More
I can remember my anger like it was yesterday. It happened 29 years ago, and yet I can still see myself yelling, stomping and slamming a bedroom door.
I was a junior in high school and a boy invited me to visit him at his college two hours from our hometown.
We weren’t dating. We were just friends and he thought I’d ... Read More
I’ve noticed something over the past nine years of writing this column. Acts of Christmas kindness seem to have a special ability to stay with us throughout years and even decades.
Two women have shared just those types of kindness with me in the following stories. The first is from Gretchen Robinson from South Hill, VA.
“My kindness story happened ... Read More
