After reading through Leviticus and Numbers aloud with my own middle school aged kids, I have a better appreciation for the linguists, theologians, and translators who have invested in the variety of Biblical translations and paraphrases available. I prefer reading aloud from the New Living Translation, but when I’m preparing to teach, I consult at …
Securely Held
This morning, the chair across from me is empty. The view from where I sit is glorious on this second day of October. There’s a slight breeze provided by the fan above me and an accompaniment of birds singing. I choose this spot as often as I can to bask in the glory of the …
Habit in the Making
Did you brush your teeth? Yes ma’am. Are you sure? Feel my toothbrush. This was my kids’ favorite argument at bedtime. Well, at least it was a close second to “just one more story!” It took some training and persistence to teach my children to be responsible for brushing their own teeth, and perseverance to …
Changed By The Word
K is for “keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.” (Psalm 34:13) I’ve memorized more scripture with my children than I ever have alone. The K verse comes from Susan Hunt’s “My ABC Bible Verses- Hiding God’s Word in Little Hearts.” One year while my three kids were still in elementary …
OH! My God…🙏🏻
Sensationalism saturates our media and marks our culture as shock value seems to be the highest ideal of journalists. Every headline meant to grab attention elevates the bar until what used to make us cringe is now merely scrolled past like old news. Cinema and entertainment only adds to this barrage with fictional content that …
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
Paul and Silas sang praise to the Lord at the midnight hour from their prison cell. I hum hymns and choruses long past midnight until the words come back, verse after verse, to soothe my newborn grandson as I did my own children. He may not yet understand the lyrics but the familiar tunes will …
Seriously Searching
Have you ever so intently looked for something that you missed it entirely? Today as I stood staring into my daughter’s pantry looking for plastic cling wrap, it may as well have been invisible. She walked up behind me and pointed and it suddenly appeared. I was reminded of my youngest every time he couldn’t …
You Finish What You Start
I’ve reached the age where my former penchant for multitasking has turned into easy distractibility. I start four or five tasks only to discover them partly completed later in the same day or week. At the same time, I am finding myself more productive in this particular season. I am motivated by time with my …
Who Does He Look Like?
My husband was enrolled in Genetics, the study of inherited characteristics, in medical school when we started making plans for a family. We spent our evenings talking about dominant and recessive traits and which we possessed and would likely be passed on to our children. No amount of imagining could have prepared us for the …
Defining Moments
Becoming a grandmother has quickly become one of those moments in life that changes everything! I’ve spent months preparing for it and thinking about it and still it seems surreal. I’ve looked forward to our grandson’s arrival since a few weeks after his conception, but until I held him in my arms, I didn’t really …
A Fitting Reply 