Indholdsfortegnelse for March/April 2025 i Mornings with Jesus

A couple of years ago I came across the Japanese phrase hō ge jaku. It’s often translated “throw away everything” or “let go of everything.” That probably seems quite appropriate for the country that gave us Marie Kondo and her philosophy of getting rid of anything that doesn’t spark joy, and I have to admit that I always think about this concept whenever it’s time to do some decluttering around the house! But in fact, the origin of the phrase has a deeper meaning. As the story goes, the Zen teacher Joshu was sitting in his monastery one day when a monk asked him, “I have nothing. How is that?” Now, that question needs a little context. The monk wasn’t talking about worldly possessions; he was talking about attachments. Probably…

I COULD TELL SOMETHING WAS wrong when my youngest son, Solomon, asked to talk to me before bedtime. When we sat down on the couch, tears welled up in his eyes as he began his story. Earlier that day, he had used his school computer to search for a phrase he’d overheard online. He told me the words he typed into the search bar, and my heart sank. I knew he had stumbled upon information too mature for a 10-year-old. He said he immediately closed the browser after scanning the search results and realizing the information wasn’t appropriate for him, but he was sick with guilt and worried he’d be in trouble at school and at home. After a long hug, I smiled and told him I was proud of…

AS A COUNSELOR, I CAN drive myself crazy, talking myself through my feelings. I need trustworthy people with whom to process my thoughts. One day, I struggled with control over a situation with one of my children. I was frustrated as I searched for a solution, knowing I couldn’t fix things. I stopped by my friend Debbie’s house on my way home from work. She thoughtfully listened as I shared my problem. “Most parents struggle with control at some time,” she said. Then, she gently suggested I might be the obstacle to Jesus working in the situation. She wanted me to consider two responses to the problem: stepping aside or stepping away. That sounded like giving up! I wrestled with these concepts. Could I be a hindrance to Jesus’s work?…

I THOUGHT ABOUT SKIPPING LYDIA CIRCLE, my volunteer group at church. I’d neglected my to-do list and needed to catch up. The 45-minute round trip and the hour-plus meeting would take up a big chunk of time, but I decided to go anyway. It was my baking day, so on my way out the door, I fed the sourdough starter its breakfast of hard red wheat and water. I stirred the additions in and checked for signs of life. Tiny bubbles broke the surface of the dough, quickly popped, then disappeared. Yeast spores give off carbon dioxide, which would raise the loaf. Invisibly. Sometimes I think the things I do are invisible, small, and mostly unseen. Does it matter if I gather with my Christian sisters to study God’s Word,…

WHEN MY HUSBAND AND I sensed the Holy Spirit leading us toward living full-time aboard a sailboat, we faced the task of finding suitable moorage. The challenge caught us off guard: every yacht broker within a 200-mile radius warned of a 7-year waiting list for liveaboard space in our area. Several marina managers laughed aloud when we asked about availability. Perhaps the nautical professionals were right. Maybe we’d embarked on a dead-end path. Why waste Jesus’s time and attention by asking Him to provide moorage when there was none available? Our situation reminded me of Jairus’s story. The desperate father sought Jesus’s help to save his 12-year-old daughter from death, but all too soon his friends came bearing bad news: the girl had died. Why bother asking Jesus to heal…

MY DAUGHTER’S NEW JOB REQUIRES frequent travel and extended stays in posh resorts. Like good parents, we decided to book a flight to Arizona and crash at her swanky hotel room. While she worked, my husband and I took in the sights. The arid desert, rocky terrain, and scattered vegetation contrasted sharply with the lush green Ozark Mountains where we live. I marveled at the Creator’s artistic imagination. I especially appreciated the iconic saguaro cacti standing guard. Some were 40 feet tall with many arms reaching toward the azure sky. Others had only a few prickly appendages. I was shocked when a local told me the saguaros are dying. She explained the cacti may look healthy, but many were diseased by bacteria rotting them from inside. Injury allows the bacteria…

THE NUMBER ROSE TO SEVEN pregnancies—but only one living child. Years of jubilant highs and devastating lows left me emotionally exhausted. The physical part hadn’t been easy either—doctors, specialists, procedures, surgeries. Each pregnancy brought fatigue and nausea in the first trimester, followed by the painful process of miscarriage. And it was occurring again. No heartbeat. Pregnancy hormone levels decreasing. “Let’s wait one more week and see what happens,” my doctor said. Heaviness overshadowed the next few days. I believed Jesus could give me a second child, but would He choose to do so? I prayed for a miracle yet braced for another loss. Before my return appointment, my sister called. “I have something to tell you.” She hesitated. “I’ve been praying specifically for the baby’s heart to beat. In the…

MY PHONE ALARM SOUNDED AT 5 a.m. and I popped right up. That was a good sign since I am not a morning person. I was looking forward to dialing in to the 6 a.m. prayer call that would begin my church’s 40 days of sacred time of prayer and fasting, which we call Seek. I knew my prayer and devotional life had grown weak over the last several months. As a result, I felt restless, overwhelmed, and dispassionate. I needed a jump-start, so I committed to reconnecting with Jesus. I wanted to feel His presence again. I plunged right in. Each morning I listened to the morning prayer call, read a couple of devotionals and Scripture, and talked to Jesus. I was amazed at how what I read all…

DURING A UNIT ON ARGUMENTATIVE TEXTS, I taught my students how to spot common logical fallacies in print and video advertisements. After analyzing the breakdown in logic, they created their own ads using one of the fallacies we’d studied. Their favorite was the slippery slope fallacy. It assumes that one small event now will lead to a catastrophic future. For example, if you fail one test in high school, you won’t get into college and will end up unemployed, living in a tent under a bridge in winter. The students caught on quickly, and the ease with which they were able to take one insignificant moment and follow it to ridiculous consequences both amused and impressed me. However, it wasn’t long before I began to see the breakdown of my…

THE LIST was LONG. Check prices at the building-supply store. Purchase fabric. Drop off books at the library. And groceries—the refrigerator nearly echoed it was so empty. So much to do and so little time. I hadn’t left the house and already felt frazzled. I got in the car and turned the key. Nothing. Maybe the engine was cold. I tried again. Silence. The dashboard lights remained dark. The battery was dead, the cable broken. I headed indoors to arrange a tow and schedule an appointment at the auto repair shop. Any plans for the day were ruined. My mind filled with dread as I contemplated what I could throw together for dinner. But when I searched the freezer, I found one last protein—a small turkey. Resting beside it was…

I COUNTED ON SEEING MY FRIEND at an annual Christ-centered retreat we both attended. Many miles separated us the rest of the year. That January, I couldn’t help but notice Lucinda struggled to be her exuberant self. She still poured herself into the tasks assigned to her. She still made sure everyone’s needs were met. But something wasn’t quite right. What she considered a disturbing but likely minor physical distress sometimes brought her to tears that weekend. But she soldiered on and promised to keep us informed in the weeks after the retreat ended. In March, we heard the doctor’s report. Nothing about her condition was minor. She was gone within 2 weeks of receiving her diagnosis. Her goal in those final weeks? To honor Jesus in dying as she…

I LOVE A GOOD CORNED-BEEF sandwich. So whenever I’m in my hometown, I try to stop by my favorite spot to get the mile-high sandwich that the restaurant is famous for. The place is usually packed with folks, waiting patiently in line to place their orders. During a visit home, I walked into the restaurant and noticed an open Bible and some Christian books on a table near the entrance. I thought such a display said a lot about the restaurant’s owners. One thing I had always liked about the place (besides the food) is that the employees cheerfully greeted customers, whether they were construction workers or people dressed in business suits. They also called them by their names or “honey” and “dear,” thanked them, and wished each person a…

BOBBIE AND I ENJOYED A common interest—a love for travel. During eight decades of life, my friend pulled a camper across most of the fifty states and parts of Canada. I loved hearing about her adventures, and she loved hearing about mine. Wherever my tour director job took me, she followed along through my online posts, revisiting the towns tucked in her memories. I spoke at her celebration of life yesterday. “Bobbie has now traveled somewhere I’ve never been, a place I’ve only read about. But I want to go there. It’s on my list.” When a loved one dies, we seek comfort from Jesus, perhaps more than any other time in our earthly experience. And His Word doesn’t fail us. The descriptions of heaven in Revelation 21 and 22…

MY TEENAGE SON, MASON, was in a play this past weekend. Right before the curtain went up on opening night, I needed to use the restroom. On my way back into the theater, I snuck in through a side door, knowing it was closer to my seat. Lo and behold, I stumbled upon Mason, who was waiting in the wings for his entrance. It felt like such a gift to get to see him right before he went on stage, give him a quick hug, and tell him to “break a leg.” I went back to my seat feeling so fortunate for that precious moment. I made sure I did the same thing for each performance of the weekend. I’ve had similar experiences with Jesus. Right in the middle of…

FLIPPING THROUGH MY RECIPE BOX, I recognized Mom’s handwriting and pulled out the yellow, tattered index card for her perfect cheesecake. Instead of imagining her decadent dessert, I recalled a time when Mom’s cheesecake wasn’t so perfect. Our family was gathered around the table. Dessert had been served, but an awkward silence lingered. Mom was the last to help herself to a piece and take a bite. All eyes were on her. Finally, realization dawned on her face. “I forgot to add the sugar.” Sighs of relief followed because no one wanted to insult the chef. Mom’s cheesecake has a gazillion ingredients, but omitting just one turned her dessert into a disaster. She could have forgotten the eggs or the cream cheese or the milk, and the result would have…

OUR FAMILY WATCHED, SHAKING OUR heads, as all three dogs maneuvered for each other’s food bowls. Why all the jockeying? Every bowl had the same kibble mix. The dogs’ selfish positioning at mealtime is comical, ridiculous, and humbly humanlike. Even usually docile members of the animal kingdom struggle for power as they feel threatened by what someone else has. The Monday after Palm Sunday, Jesus dealt with the deceitful power plays of the Jewish leaders. They could have had the salvation Jesus offered. Instead, they manipulated at every turn, struggling for power to secure their uncertain standing. Their first recorded questions to Him in Matthew 21:23 (NIV) reek of cowardly bullying: “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Can you picture them, puffed…

MAUNDY THURSDAY. THE DAY WHEN Jesus experienced the sting of betrayal and the tender ache of painful goodbyes at the Last Supper. Jesus’s heartache is evident in John 13:21, 27 (NIV): “Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, ‘Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.’ As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, ‘What you are about to do, do quickly.’” Jesus’s anguish is clear. Just get it done. Don’t delay the pain. And in spite of those feelings, Jesus did something remarkable. He poured water into a basin, took a towel, and began washing the disciples’ feet. After kneeling before each of His disciples, including Judas, who would betray Him, and taking on the role of…

FOR THE PAST WEEK, I’ve dealt with physical aches and stiffness. My body is good at letting me know when it’s suffering—that’s my positive spin on a chronic but manageable condition I have. This week my body has felt out of balance. Psalm 46:5 feels like an empowering yet calming balm. It reminds me that God is in my midst, in my very core—watching over and readjusting me, and not just physically. His Spirit flows within me too. This verse also brings to mind the women who walked with Jesus through His darkest days. They had awakened on Good Friday to horrors descending on Jesus. Yet even then, God was in the midst of each woman. And while they were shaken, they remained unmoved in their faith in Him. On…

MY FOUR CHILDREN ARE YOUNG adults and no longer live at home. I pray for them every day, asking that angels will keep them safe, but I rarely have confirmation that my prayer is being answered. Early one morning, my son Ian’s name popped up on my phone screen. When I answered, he spoke evenly. “Mom, I’m fine, but I’ve been in an accident,” he said. “I think my right hand might be broken.” He had been riding his bike to work and a car had hit him. I drove to the hospital, expecting he’d be dressed and ready to leave, but instead he was in an emergency room cubicle hooked up to an IV and a series of other machines. He’d underplayed the seriousness of the accident, not wanting…

AS AN EXPERIENCED CYCLIST, I knew better than to bike after a rain, but I was determined to get my daily ride done before dark. The pavement was mostly dry and I could do my 7 miles in 30 minutes and still get home in time to fix supper. So off I raced. I was two blocks from coasting into my driveway when my bike hit a mud slick, lost traction, and off I flew, landing with a splat on the pavement. Mortified, I scrambled to get up before anyone saw me, but a searing pain in my left shoulder immobilized me. What had I done to myself? Oh, Jesus, help me! Much to my dismay, a crowd gathered. There I sprawled, dazed, in the middle of a circle of…

LAST WEEKEND I MET TWO close friends for dinner. In the months since we’d seen each other, I’d gained weight and added forty-seven wrinkles. In my heart, I wanted to focus on my friends instead of my pants size and how I now looked like my mom. But I’d fallen for the lie that skinny, wrinkle-free women are more valuable than, well, ones who look like me. The tables in the restaurant were closely spaced. Inches away from me sat a girl of perhaps three or four. Her face was heart-shaped, her eyes bright. I sat down, smiled, and said, “Am I too close?” Mother and daughter spoke at the same time. The mom reassured me I wasn’t in their space. But not hearing what the girl said, I looked…

I RECENTLY LOOKED THROUGH my reading list and was surprised at how many World War II–era novels I’ve read in recent years. Some of them focused on organized resistance movements by people whose country had been invaded by Germany. A few told the stories of British and American citizens who willingly risked their lives by going to France to serve as spies or help sabotage the Nazi army’s attacks on Allied forces. These stories of courage in the face of extreme danger made me wonder if I could be that brave and self-sacrificing if I were called to step up in such a time. The next week I read a quote from Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis that helped me understand that this is such a time: “Enemy-occupied territory—that…

I’D BEEN PRAYING ABOUT WHAT to give up for Lent. During my morning quiet time the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, I sensed Jesus telling me to give up social media. What? For 40 whole days? I loved scrolling through my feeds, and this Lent sacrifice seemed extreme to me. I boldly asked for three confirmations and got them in quick succession. OK, Jesus, if You insist! I posted a note on social media that I was giving it up for Lent, let folks know they could text and email me, and deleted all the social apps off my phone. I suddenly felt alone, vulnerable, and kind of cast adrift. That certainly seemed telling, underscoring my unhealthy attachment. Jesus, help me, a simple prayer I use often. I caught myself picking…

THE CROCUSES ARE BLOOMING. Every year, these small flowers rise up through the frost and snow to brighten our yard. Their petals open to the elements, braving—and seemingly enjoying—the cold and wet weather. They spread the good news: spring is coming. Looking at them, I smile. They know something I tend to forget during the dead of winter. The temperatures will warm. Birds will nest. The seasons will change just as they always have. How can these tiny purple blooms make such a difference in my attitude? They arrive when I need them most and stay until other flowers make their appearance. Spring and summer come, and the garden explodes with color. But as autumn passes and the trees cast off their leaves, I remember my crocuses and what they…

OUR SON WILL IS A MUSICIAN. Ever since he was a tiny boy, he has loved to sing. In junior high, he began playing guitar and piano. In high school, he began writing and producing his own music. Now, he is a music and worship major in college. Every once in a while, Will emails us a new song he is working on. I pass the link along to all of our family members. I want them to get in on the joy. The latest video Will sent us was his first time performing with his worship studio class. They were leading the music for an event and the students took turns. When Will stepped up to the microphone to lead worship, I teared up a bit. A little because…

IT’S THE SAME EVERY SINGLE YEAR, yet somehow the succession of bleak, gray days in March in Chicago always takes me by surprise. Hardware stores and garden centers begin to arrange wooden pallets and tables in their parking lots. In a few months, they’ll hold a beautiful array of tomato plants, rosebushes, and herbs. In Zone 5, where I live, often the first flowers to be set out for sale are impatiens or hanging baskets of pink or purple petunias. But now the parking lot, like the sky, is a dull gray, the tables dolefully empty. Like me, they long for spring. Stopped at a red light, looking at those empty tables, I bring to mind the fact that all of the plants that will fill those spaces are already…

I ONCE HAD A PASTOR who’d often say, “I want to be like Stu when I grow up.” Stu was an elderly retired minister who was a quiet, softspoken spiritual mentor to many. The Lord has put this memory on my heart, prompting me to consider who is my inspirational role model. I know I need to become more like Jesus, but I’ve also been asking Jesus who else in my life I should aspire to become more like. He showed me. It wasn’t someone I would’ve expected. Unlike that pastor’s role model, who was a senior citizen named Stu, my role model is a high school senior named Hunter. My husband and I are blessed to have this special friend in our life. Not only is this young man…

I VISITED SOME FRIENDS RECENTLY who are going through a very hard time. I consider them both mentors as I spent many hours as a younger woman learning to trust Jesus through a Bible study they led in their home. Now in their eighties, the husband had a stroke and the wife has Parkinson’s disease, which has progressed to a point that she cannot do many daily-living activities. They are totally dependent on others to help with basic needs. It had been some years since I’d seen my friends. As I comprehended their changed state, I fought back tears. I listened as they told me about their declining health issues. Grief for their physical losses was evident. The husband said he even woke up crying in the middle of the…

DRIVING OFF TO GROCERY SHOP, I switched the radio on and caught a breaking news alert. “One dead and many injured in a shooting at Sam Houston University.” No, Jesus! My 18-year-old grandson, Ty, was a freshman at Sam Houston! I pulled over and texted Ty. The news report continued, and I learned the shooting had occurred the night before. Intellectually, I knew that if Ty had been hurt, I’d have heard by now. But I was desperate to know he was OK. Finally, Ty texted me. I’m fine, Honey. Thanks for your prayers. Thank YOU, Jesus! I was relieved but puzzled. I didn’t know about the shooting so how could I have been praying? I decided to call Ty. “You told me when I left for college that you…

COZY WHODUNIT MYSTERIES ARE MY go-to for relaxing bedtime reading. Interesting enough to keep me turning pages but not too scary or overstimulating to prevent me from being able to sleep. The perfect balance of suspense and comfort for unwinding at day’s end. In contrast, daily life’s rarely intriguing, let alone mysterious. Mine’s rather predictable, with its ordinary rhythms and routines. Except for one tiny, perplexing unsolved case. Last summer I found a perfect large white strawberry neatly tucked into the crotch of two slender branches of my dogwood tree. A flawless specimen that had been plucked before ripened from one of my strawberry plants. The mystery of who’d placed it there piqued my curiosity for months. How did it get there? Still puzzled about the case of the misplaced…

WHILE I WAS ON MY way to work one day, it seemed like every person on the road decided to drive the minimum speed limit. That would be commendable, of course, if I wasn’t running late. Whether I sped up, slowed down, or changed lanes, I only got a few feet before approaching another driver who seemed to be on the road for a casual cruise. Every fiber in my being wanted to zoom ahead and zip past these slowpokes to avoid being late, but I had a gnawing feeling I shouldn’t speed up and push my way through. Sometimes when that feeling arises, I’ll see a patrol car a few moments later and feel relieved that I didn’t disregard the speed limit. But that was not the feeling this…

A NURSE WELCOMED MY HUSBAND to a private room on the leukemia floor that would be his home-away-from-home for the next month. We were still in shock from the diagnosis he’d received only hours before, trying to imagine what 7 days of round-the-clock chemo would do to his body that required a month-long stay. “You must get out of bed and walk the halls,” the nurse instructed. She told us how many laps equaled a mile and said being active builds strength. “Every day you lie in bed, you lose 3 percent of your muscle mass.” It’s been several years since my husband’s diagnosis, but I often recall the nurse’s warning about how quickly muscle deteriorates from inactivity. I think the same is true for the heart muscle. My heart…

I CAME HOME FROM A long day at work feeling worn out and short-tempered. My students had been unruly and disrespectful. The traffic on the way home had been slow and awful, and I still had an evening of chores ahead of me. I silently gave myself a pep talk to prepare me for the hard work of keeping my emotions in check as I greeted my family and started a load of laundry while we waited for supper to be ready. I didn’t notice the exact moment when my mind and body began to relax, but slowly I became aware that I felt calm rather than anxious. I paused to evaluate. Tension had left my shoulders. My head didn’t ache. My heartbeat was steady. The realization was comforting but…

WHILE I WAS SITTING AROUND talking to family members, the conversation turned to favorite clothing and shoes. My brother-in-law told a story about his wife’s favorite pair of shoes, which she rarely wore. Linda decided to put them on for a special affair she was attending. As she walked through the house, she started to leave a trail of bits and pieces of the shoes’ soles, a sure sign that age and heat had gotten the best of them. We all collapsed with laughter. I could relate. The same thing happened to me with some old boots. After years in the closet, they simply began to disintegrate with each step that I took after I finally put them on. Thinking about our family chat later, I recalled that the Israelites…

I’D NEVER BEEN MUCH INTO weightlifting. But now I have a whole new appreciation for it. When trying to cope with all the things that needed to be done after my father died, I didn’t realize how much extra emotional weight I was carrying. It just piled on, virtually overnight. I didn’t sleep for the entire first 2 weeks after Dad died. Yet, in spite of the heaviness weighing me down, every day required doing unfamiliar tasks while negotiating a minefield of emotions, delicate dealings with family members, hard conversations, difficult decisions, and multiple meetings with the funeral director. Which is why I’ll never forget the day Mom and I met with the pastor who would be officiating Dad’s funeral service. Bearing up under a heavy yoke of responsibilities that…

I PLOPPED DOWN IN THE CORNER of our dining room, our “camping corner.” My husband, Ron, and I wanted to replicate the feeling we had when we spent time in nature, so I created an indoor space to mimic camping by arranging plants and chairs by our picture window. I hoped the area would be relaxing and worshipful. Most often, it’s simply where I land exhausted after the school day. My job as an elementary school counselor is rewarding but challenging. A first grader cries because his mom is going to jail. A fourth grader is anxious about her dad’s cancer. Helping kids with their problems is often draining. I often don’t connect with Jesus as I intend throughout the week. Today, like most days, worship is the last thing…

I FIND SMALL TALK STRESSFUL. I love having deep conversations, and when I feel out of my lane, words often fail. Although some public speaking coaching has helped in these situations, I want nothing more than to walk away from interactions outside my comfort zone. These verses in Mark 13 offer empowerment for knowing what to say. Jesus assures His disciples that the Holy Spirit will provide the right words when they’re confronted for their faith. I believe a similar heart applies for all situations when we need wise words. Scriptures detailing the events on the Tuesday before Easter are loaded with Jesus revealing the truth of people’s hearts, from the Pharisees, whose darkened hearts opposed His spiritual authority by trying to trap Him with words, to Judas setting in…

A WHILE BACK, I KEPT HEARING about God “sifting” His people. It was a message in church, on Christian radio, and in blogs I read. When Jesus spoke of sifting, He was referring to separating the valuable portion of us from the worthless portion, shaking out what doesn’t serve His purposes. Sifting can come from crisis. It can be the result of our actions or the actions of others. God allows sifting, with revealing effects. I’ve felt that sifting in my life and family, in our community, and in the world. My faith has been tested, stretched, and refined. Jesus has been close and patient with my questions. But sifting need not result in discord or discarding faith. Luke 22:31‒32 contains a game-changing discovery when Jesus prayed over the sifting…

OUR CHURCH HOSTS A VOLUNTEER appreciation event each year. I attend because I’m part of the worship team, but I am always astounded at the volume of people who serve in the parking lot, those who help keep the grounds nicely landscaped and the flower beds weeded, those caring for kids in children’s church, those who provide transportation for people who can’t drive, and those who aid the church staff in innumerable and often unseen ways. I greeted a young woman at our latest appreciation event, someone I didn’t know well. She expressed my heart when she said, “I had no idea how many would be here. And it makes me wonder why I was invited. I do so little. I kept the infused water dispensers filled during the women’s…

I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED BIRDS. I sat on my porch and admired their colors—red, blue, yellow. During recent years, I became an actual bird enthusiast. I discovered the red bird was a cardinal, the blue one was a blue jay, and the yellow one was an American goldfinch. I bought a Birds of Alabama book and a pair of binoculars. In April, I glanced up from the papers covering my desk and saw a multicolored beauty perched on a feeder. I reached slowly for the binoculars, hoping the movements wouldn’t startle him. I turned the focus wheel . . . jet-black head, neck, and eyes . . . snow-white belly and rump . . . black-and-white-mingled back . . . and a stunning chest of rosy red. The rose-breasted grosbeak…

DEAR LORD, NOT SIRENS! My least favorite thing is drawing attention to myself, but someone had called 911 after I’d experienced a devastating fall off my bike. My husband, Jeff, ran over and crouched beside me, concern on his dear face. “We need to get you to the hospital,” Jeff said. “Do you want to go in the ambulance or my truck?” “Your truck!” I cried. Several people helped hoist me into Jeff’s truck, and we drove to the hospital. Jeff found me a wheelchair, and I joined the ranks of suffering humanity in the emergency room. I yanked at my skimpy bike shorts, cringed at my torn, bloody shirt, tried to fluff up my helmet hair. The embarrassment of looking this awful in public coupled with the pain of…

SOME TRAITS WE INHERIT, like blond hair or brown eyes. Even daydreaming! I’m a dreamer, something I inherited from my father. We’d fantasize about woolly monsters and sailboats and faraway places during my growing-up years. My practical mother stood by shaking her head and smiling, proof that Mary-Martha households can work—or play, if Dad and I had our way. Daddy taught me to set goals, and Mom showed me how to reach them. One of my lifelong desires has been to go up in a hot-air balloon. I’m hoping to experience that adventure this summer. I wonder, might hovering so high be like floating in the clouds, a sweet taste of heaven? If I stood on my tiptoes, could I touch just the edge of it? I plan to find…

“WHAT WILL WE DO IF we can’t resolve this?” My husband stared at the highway from his position behind the steering wheel. I stared at the same scene from the passenger side. But I might as well have been turned to face out the back window for all the distance between our opinions on the topic. Funny, now I can’t remember the issue, but what came out of that seemingly impossible impasse changed me. I turned my attention to the road’s shoulders and ditches we passed in miles of silence. And I turned my heart in a better direction—to seek Jesus. In the quiet of my soul, I sought His wisdom. The situation wasn’t impossible to Him. He didn’t see our disagreement as an impasse. I let my emotions step…

THE DAY WE FLED OUR home from a raging wildfire, ashes rained down on us. We drove to a parking lot and watched our house burn to the ground. Thankful to be alive yet devastated at the loss, we then drove to our son’s condo. When I looked in the mirror, I had black smudges on my face and ash pooled in the corner of my eyes. One gift I received after the fire from a friend was a T-shirt that said: Beauty from Ashes. I’d heard that phrase before, but it had never resonated with me until then. Slowly, I’ve seen our property come back to life—beauty literally replaced ashes. And we’ve had a caring community uphold us with their generosity and kindness. After a season of sorrow, my…

A POWERFUL CROSS DISPLAY STANDS along Interstate 75 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Three colossal steel crosses reach 100 feet into the air, the center one a bit higher than the others. The sight proclaims the message of Jesus to millions of passersby each year. I literally gasped the first time I saw the crosses, traveling with my daughter and two little granddaughters. I shared the whole story with the girls—Jesus in the middle, a criminal on one side saying mean things to Him, a criminal on the other side being kind to Jesus and asking Him for help. I concluded, “Jesus told the second man he would be in heaven that same day.” The car grew quiet for a while. Five-year-old Sadie sketched in her art kit. When we got home,…

LAST WEEK AT OUR LADIES’ Bible study, I commented that Jesus has set us free from the condemnation of our past sins, whether we sinned 40 years or 40 minutes ago. “You know how a little devil sits on your shoulder and says, ‘You call yourself a Christian, and look at what you did. You should be ashamed.’” One of the women interrupted. “That’s not what my devil says. He says, ‘That was fun. Let’s do that again!’” All twelve of us laughed. I imagine because we each remembered a time when sin felt good, even though our conscience told us it was wrong. Like Moses, Jesus had the choice to enjoy the “fleeting pleasures of sin.” Instead, He obeyed His Father to the end and suffered a horrible death…

MY HUSBAND’S AUNT SARA PASSED away recently, just shy of her 102nd birthday. A few weeks before, Hal and I had dinner with her and her daughter at a restaurant while we were visiting in their city. The four of us chatted and laughed as we caught up with each other, and Aunt Sara recounted a story or two about things that had happened long ago. When we prepared to leave, Aunt Sara held on to her trusty walker/chair combo, which her daughter, Bertrice, had dubbed Ruby the Rollator. The walker traveled with Aunt Sara, giving her support and a place to sit whenever she needed to rest. Aunt Sara even tricked out her walker with a horn and would sometimes add streamers and bells, any decorations that matched the…

THERE USED TO BE A racetrack in the next town that shut down 15 years ago. Five years later, as it sat empty, crews began expanding the road eight lanes wide. It didn’t make sense. When I drove by, I wondered if it was necessary to have such a wide stretch of road when there was absolutely nothing there. Until a few years ago. All of a sudden, that area became a beehive of activity, with construction vehicles and personnel going in and out. In no time at all, they built store after restaurant after condo. It’s now a mini-city in and of itself that needs eight lanes to get in and out of. Jesus has shut down some things in my life. Even more painful is how He broke…

MY OLDER SON, PIERCE, GUEST played baseball for a travel team for a weekend of preseason games. He only knew a few of the players and barely knew the coach. During the games, the coach moved the players around to several positions. I think he was experimenting with the optimal combination and the best player for each position. Most of the kids hadn’t played with the others. Some hadn’t played their particular positions before. To make matters worse, our team roster was composed of 16-year-old players, while the other team was made up of 18-year-olds who’d been practicing together for weeks. Our team lost big, but I was struck by how those boys did the best they could, even as they were being totally trounced. I was impressed and humbled.…

ZANE AND I BOUGHT NEW alpine touring equipment. It’s ski gear that allows us to hike up the mountain and ski down in fresh powder. Excited, we planned our first outing to use our new gear. But the night before we were to set out, our dog, Ody, barked a few times to be let outside after we were already in bed. We had a hard time falling back to sleep. We woke up tired and cranky. We almost gave up going. We were short with each other and had lost some of our enthusiasm to make the effort. I’ve always loved Jesus’s promise in John 10:10. Jesus came to give us abundant life. But the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy. I mentioned this to Zane and suggested…

Singing isn’t my natural response when I’ve had a bad day. I’m more prone to go for a walk, seek solitude to process my thoughts, or tell my woes to my husband. Sometimes I’ll listen to a playlist of worship songs to focus my mind on all things good, but that’s not the same as bursting into song myself. Seeking Jesus’s example about how to respond well on difficult days leads me to the story of the Last Supper. Picture this: on the evening of the Last Supper, Jesus said that, in less than 24 hours, one of His disciples would betray Him, Peter would deny Him three times, all would desert Him, and He would die. Clearly, Jesus had seen better days, but He let neither circumstances nor emotions…

WHEN I WALKED INTO CVS, a petite older woman, wearing a thread-bare blue dress and flip-flops, approached me. “Did you lose this?” she asked me, holding up a five-dollar bill. I shook my head. “Well, I need to find the owner and return it.” Cynically, I figured anybody could tell this woman they’d lost the five dollars and she’d be none the wiser. It looked to me as though she could have used that money herself, but Jesus must have prompted her in her quest. While I was in the drugstore, I noticed her approaching customers, asking if they’d lost the bill. To the credit of my fellow shoppers, no one claimed the money. As I was leaving, the woman brushed past me, clutching the bill. “Checking the parking lot…

ONE OF MY MOST SIGNIFICANT steps of faith this year was starting a daily Bible podcast with my friend Michelle. I love reading Jesus’s Word—it has truly transformed my life. As we prepared to launch our podcast, worries filled my mind: I didn’t have a seminary degree. I can’t read Hebrew or Greek. Did I have what it takes? Would I be able to join Michelle every day to talk about Jesus’s Word and what we learned as we read? Thankfully, I didn’t let those worries stop me. We’ve recorded more than one hundred podcasts already, and I understand Jesus’s Word more than ever. I didn’t need prior knowledge before opening the Bible. Instead, Jesus has given me wisdom. Every single day I discover something I hadn’t realized before. It’s…

SPONTANEITY IS NOT PART OF MY DNA, especially on weekends or vacation days. I like surprises after they happen—I don’t handle the initial unknown or suspense well. I also struggle when my day doesn’t go as planned after having envisioned all the tasks I would accomplish or all the leisurely activities I would enjoy. This (not-so) internal battle has been going on for years. I remember my sixteenth birthday. Birthdays were a big deal in my household growing up. I woke up that morning with limitless ideas for celebrating, but all of them were rejected by my parents. I was livid. Well, hurt, really. That evening, they finally suggested picking up a pizza. When I stepped inside to pick up our order, I ran into several of my friends hanging…

AFTER SEVERAL JOB RELOCATIONS through the years, my husband and I have been impacted by some severe weather events in different states: tornadoes, blizzards, ice storms, flooding, earth tremors, and a major hurricane. Last weekend, we listened to warnings and reports about a system of destructive storms and tornadoes moving through our new area. It reminded me that no matter where we live, we will always face the possibility of some type of dangerous weather. Matthew 14:22–33 tells how Jesus’s disciples found themselves in a boat buffeted by fierce winds. Jesus had sent them ahead, knowing the storm they would face. He did not show up until the boat was far from land; they’d already battled the wind for hours. But when Jesus did appear shortly before dawn, He came…

I LET THE PHONE CALL go to voicemail. I didn’t answer an email from the same person moments later, although I did skim to make sure it was an “emergency” only in the mind of the sender, not truly urgent. She needed guidance. Happy to offer it, I couldn’t at that moment. Other priorities consumed me. I shot up a quick prayer, then attended to the needs in front of me. Guilt? Sure. It was easy to let the guilt of putting off my friend, even temporarily, slide its smelly foot into where my focus had to be. But I recognized the odor of guilt and refused to let it linger. Trusting Jesus to see to the concerns of my friend, I applied myself to the task at hand. It…

PALM SUNDAY DAWNED OVER JERUSALEM and ushered in the week leading to the cross. The scene began with Jesus’s humble entrance into Jerusalem, as King on a donkey while people laid out a processional of palm fronds. The masses cheered, but Jesus knew what was to come. Some in that crowd would soon shout for His death. The religious leaders would act on their jealousy, ruthlessly and lawlessly. His own followers would desert Him. And He knew all of this ahead of time. As Jesus rode through the city, He saw people who would sin terribly against Him. And He kept going. For them. Recently I was awake late, unable to sleep as an old struggle replayed in my mind. Jesus and I had dealt with this issue, but there…

I SLIPPED ON MY RUNNING shoes, grabbed my phone, and headed outside for a walk. Soon I was deep in conversation with a friend. When Covid-19 was in full swing, those long talk-walks became lifelines of sanity, breathing spaces to clear my head and find joy in the uncertainty. Those ventures created the quiet space I needed. Wednesday of Easter week is quiet in Scripture. Some scholars suggest Jesus spent the day in Bethany at the home of his friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. I imagine He probably felt safe surrounded by people who loved Him and who let Him rest as He gathered strength for what was to come. This day makes me consider how Jesus prepares us before launching us into what’s next. How He recognizes the importance…

ON THE SATURDAY AFTER CRUCIFIXION, heaven’s whisper may have been lost on those who’d followed Jesus. After darkness fell, the earth rumbled, and the curtain closed on the previous day, I imagine the landscape echoed the deafening silence of hope lost. Considering the atrocities done against Jesus, it’s hard to fathom His followers’ trauma and heartache that Saturday. Although no trauma and heartache in my life compare to what Jesus’s followers must have experienced, I, too, have lost hope at times. Many generations earlier, Job wrote of how we can miss the ways God whispers (26:7‒10, niv): “He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing. He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight. He…

I CONNECTED WITH A FORMER high school classmate on social media shortly before he retired as a riverboat captain. Sadly, Lanny passed away a couple of years later. I will never forget a memory he shared online from one of his trips down the Mississippi River. Lanny had reached his destination after dark. The next morning, on Easter Sunday, he woke up to discover the boat docked next to his was named The Resurrection. I normally think about the term resurrection either in the past tense, as in Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after His Crucifixion (Luke 24:46), or in the future tense, the promise that believers in Christ will receive new, eternal life after physical death (John 10:27–28). But before Jesus called Lazarus from the…

I’M WRITING THIS ON THE brink of spring, when I start to get a mysterious, often totally random impulse to clean and organize. This time, it was my top two desk drawers. Both had compartmentalized trays that were once organized but had become chaotic: a jumble of paper clips, lipstick, rubber bands, odd keys, and way too many old business cards, among other things. I went to work. It had evidently been a long time since I’d purged these drawers because I was able to toss so much, including 90 percent of the business cards. Some names looked familiar, some had cryptic handwritten notes, still others meant nothing to me, though they must have at the time. I know myself, and if I took and kept the card, there was…

EVERY YEAR I MAKE IT a point to try something new. This year I started doing CrossFit because I was recently diagnosed with osteoporosis and needed to do more weight-bearing exercise. CrossFit is a strength and conditioning workout at a high-intensity level with a group of others who cheer you on. It’s also designed around movements used in day-to-day life, like pulling, pushing, lifting, and walking up and down stairs. After a few months, I felt significantly stronger and had a new group of friends. I’ve found learning something new adds zest to life. New experiences invigorate me because I’m introduced to new people, my confidence is increased, and it’s fun. I think God places this craving for newness into our DNA. When we decided to follow Jesus, we became…