Summertime

Little Johnny tossed a water balloon at Billy. A normal reaction from the teacher would be to reprimand Johnny, but this was not a normal day. Miss Jones cheered from the sidelines. Billy fell to the ground with laughter. The boys high-fived each other, and the next team lined up to enjoy this fun in the sun. Outdoor activities are common end-of-school-year events. Kids begin to daydream and plan what they will do for the summer. They are antsy during regular teacher sessions. Aware of this, teachers plan field trips and outdoor activities. Read more

Darkness Helps Us See Light

For many years, painting and drawing been my way to escape the pressures of life. When I sit down at the table, pull out my watercolors and begin to work on a picture, it feels like time freezes. I can easily spend hours painting and feel like only minutes have passed. Because I paint and draw to relax, I’ve never been overly concerned about doing things the “right” way. In other words, I didn’t worry much about whether my work would pass the scrutiny of a genuine artist. That wasn’t my purpose. Read more

Mary’s Choice

Busyness has become the mainstay of our lives. We rush to work, hurry home to make dinner for the family, scramble out the door for church or dash around to fit in our errands for the week. At the end of a busy day, we plop on the couch exhausted. I wonder what God thinks as He sees us sprint through our week? I am as guilty as the next person of having a life too full. Read more

The Latest Styles

I’ve been shopping recently. Roaming the aisles of all my favorite stores I realized that I might be crossing over into the you’re-too-old-for-that era of my life. True, I love many of the cute fashions that are in style today, but really at my age (not that old), with two kids, stretch marks and a few not so subtle pounds too many, I just don’t see how I could pull off some of those outfits.

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Face-lifts and Heart-lifts

There are some days when there doesn’t seem to be an end to the bad news. A friend tells you of their child’s struggle with drugs, a co-worker discovers her husband has been cheating on her, a neighbor gets his pink slip at work, and your Mom calls to say your Dad’s doctor is sending him for more tests because he’s worried about something they saw on his x-ray today. Some days it seems like the world is coming apart. Overwhelmed, exhausted, and weary we come home to find there is no solace there, and so in our quiet we cry out to God. We cry out expecting an answer, but often there is only silence. We then begin to wallow in our despair. There is, however, a way out of this deep distress. What is it?

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