Zebra, our cat, luxuriates on the bed. He stretches to his length, exposing his spotted belly and invites, “Rub my tummy, scratch my chin.” He tempts, but if I fall for it, one of two things will happen. He will rocket off the bed or snag my hand with front claws, eviscerate with back claws …
The broiling air felt delicious after spending the morning in air conditioning. I sat in the shade of a grandfather oak in the backyard of a rental house. The Texas heat contained only trace amounts of humidity, so it felt as if a giant oven door tipped open. I relaxed in the Adirondack chair and …
Deep calls to deep At the roar of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have gone over me. Psalm 42:7 Waves barrel, one after the other, allowing just enough time to kick and claw up to the border of air and no air, only to encounter a foot of wet foam and another …
School starts this week! Teachers staple the last bulletin boards and finish lesson plans, while parents count outfits and figure schedules. Some years ago, I taught 6-9th grade sciences. Some years filled me with anticipation each morning, but other years, I counted the days until the students ran with backpacks bouncing into summer. The batch …
Oh, The depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! That brief two-lettered word, oh, can communicate so many different things. Consider some nuances just by adding a partner word. Oh, really? Oh, no! Oh, yeah? Oh, my. Oh, oh. Then, there’s the single word, oh, standing solitary as it does at the …
1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. I watch a scoop of amaretto ice cream, the size of a soft ball, mix with sliced strawberries. A ribbon of hot fudge is added, then …
“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours.” 1 Chronicles 29:11a We arrived at the airport at 3:30 AM as instructed, two hours before our flight. After traveling in three different planes, renting a …
Funny how my brain hangs onto insignificant memories. One of these moments took place on a covered, concrete porch in the country, miles from anywhere. A thermometer dangled on a nail and read 98*, not unusual for a summer afternoon in South Texas. Four of us sat in folding lawn chairs under the porch’s shade. …
I shifted in the saddle and checked the reigns for the umpteenth time then settled with the familiar smell of leather and warm horse. I started tapping my heels against my horse’s sides while gently maintaining contact with her mouth through the reigns. We both had to find the sweet spot of anticipation and control. …
A knock tapped on the apartment door. At my current age I would ignore the knock, but at 21, newly married, in a new town without friends, someone at my door piqued my interest. I stood on my tiptoes and peered out the peephole. Shifting my gaze downward, I saw two small children. I opened …
Clay lay on his cot constructed with paracord and padded with evergreen boughs. Light slanted through the open door of his shelter. Clay had cut slender trees, hacked off their limbs, then erected a handsome lean-to in which he lay. He situated the shelter near water and foraged for berries. After chinking the cracks with …
“You should see it,” Mikey told his scout buddies. “Its handle is striped with different woods, and it’s hefty. And… it comes with a sheath to hang on your belt.” “Neat!” The guys said. “Wish I could get one. Is it a real Boy Scout knife?” One asked. “Yeah. It has the emblem right on …