Today is a day of celebration! My first grandchild, a boy, was born to my daughter, Caroline Rebekah and her husband, Jacob Matthew. Thomas Jay Bulman arrived today at 12:26, weighing 8 pounds and measuring 21 inches long. His birth makes me a grandmother for the very first time. My understanding of and capacity for …
Craving Comfort
Guest Post by Kimberly J. Branham “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort …
Insurance
When I was in 5th grade, the Gideons still came into public schools to distribute personal New Testaments to any child who wanted a copy of God’s Word free of charge. I don’t remember anyone in my class declining the offer and we each went home that day with God’s Word in hand, imitation leather …
Story
When our children were small, I had a hundred things to relate to my husband every evening when he walked in the door from work. None of them were mind blowing or ground breaking. Simple things like whose tooth was loose or who took a first step or used the potty by themselves or ate …
Acknowledge
“And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.”Philippians 1:12 NLThttps://www.bible.com/116/php.1.12.nlt I love to give gifts but I’m terrible at surprises! I put off shopping too far in advance because even if I find the perfect thing, (especially …
Parched
Patches of brown grass crunch beneath my feet. The sunsets I love are harshest on my backyard. The soil was prepared for bermuda sod this time last year but a heavy rain the night before washed ruts down the gentle slope, leaving the ground underneath uneven. I walk the two hundred feet from fence to …
Desire
I have to be careful about saying I want something now because if it is in my husband’s power to give it, he will! He has such a generous nature. Once he decides on a thing, he follows through swiftly. I’m the one who deliberates for days and then decides I really don’t need anything …
First
My husband and I are both firstborn of three children, so we share certain characteristics that make us good leaders but also lead to tension at times. We’re both “take charge” types who prefer to be in control of a situation. We both struggle with needing help or direction. We’re both avid protectors, zealously guarding …
Teacher
My daughter taught 5th grade through the pandemic, both virtually and in person, making her third year of teaching even more of a challenge. She has always been very conscientious, both as a student and as a teacher. She often sets unrealistic expectations for herself and judges herself more harshly than necessary, but she takes …
Trust
It’s sometimes difficult to know who to trust. Credibility is established within relationship where trust grows over time. When I tell you that I will do something and I follow through repeatedly, I become trustworthy. My husband and I made very specific promises to each other thirty years ago, and three decades of keeping those …
A Fitting Reply 