Buttered popcorn permeates the air as twelve of us take our seats in our neighbor’s garage. He fiddles with his computer until the film fills a sheet-sized screen and a musical prelude sings. We’re watching The Chosen, a video adaption of the Gospels. I can see why some might not feel comfortable with imagined backstories …
Flowers of every color adorn the cross. It is gorgeous but only a memory now. As I gaze at the photo, I reflect on Lent and Easter. Each year is different, though my goals remain the same, to love God more dearly and sincerely. This Lent I resolved to take up two actions and give …
Do you have a nickname? Some nicknames follow given names, like Suzy from Suzanne, but I’m talking about pet names given by people who love us. My mother bestowed two nicknames on me. One is too embarrassing to share, the other doesn’t make me blush, but I keep it close also. This second nickname made …
I shuffle papers until motion out the windows draws my attention. Our new dog, Diggity, races alone around the yard like a rodeo dog. He scoops up a toy mid-gallop and tosses it in the air, then circles around at top speed to nab it again and carry it to an imaginary finish line, …
I look forward to Lent. How is that possible? Lent is six and a half weeks of examining my darker side, a time of self-denial and of focus on the sacrifice of Christ Jesus. I wish Lent would hurry and get here, because I am sick and tired of indulging myself, literally. I crave …
Trees, barren of leaves and color, appear dead in winter. Winter that period of waiting, waiting, waiting, with our feet on the edge of despair, willing for life to return when there’s no sign of it. Does life still run underground, bubbling in secret? Weeds have crept over the garden so slowly that I hadn’t …
I remember that first love for my husband. I also remember that first love when I grasped Jesus’ love for me. Time has softened the ridges and washouts of both loves, but often my love becomes downright dull. I pull clothes off hangers and sort laundry, spray stains and search pockets. I fold and hang, …
Zebra drapes across my legs, and I stroke his striped coat. I can hear and feel his purrs, which echo my own enchantment. Is this love? A cool front sweeps away another bout of fog which had hung in the air for days. The air whisks with clarity and exuberance, lifting me in its curling …
“It was great running into you. Let’s do lunch.” “I’d love to—stay in touch.” Friends hug and wave goodbye as they step in different directions with their minds already on the next destination. As days pass, then months, their sincere talk of lunch is locked in the past. To remedy this “out-of-sight/out-of-mind” situation, the zeitgeist …
Nikita, our dog, lay unbothered near the driveway despite passing dogs barking and straining at their leashes. Neighbors exclaimed their amazement at her loyalty. Even on our walks to the park three blocks down the street, she trotted beside us. Every few yards she looked up and synced with our pace. Thunder and fireworks were …
Hello Friends, You saw “What Defines You” on Monday and are probably wondering why you’re getting another blog notice this week. Today is a special day. Today is Ash Wednesday. How appropriate that Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day, because both holi-days amplify love. Valentine’s Day celebrates love between people, and Ash Wednesday celebrates God’s …