In His Steps

My grandson, Thomas, is just beginning to walk independently. He confidently lets go and cruises the room or the yard until he looses his balance, encounters an obstacle, or realizes his momma or daddy are too far away. He plunks down on his bottom and crawls until he reaches a familiar pair of legs. He …

Not What I Want

I experience claustrophobia in moving crowds, more particularly behind moving crowds. When the way ahead is clear, I breathe easier. When my way is blocked by a wall of humanity, even though we are all moving in the same direction, I hold my breath and make a dash for the nearest opening. Shopping malls have …

Lead By Example

I’ve been the mother in the grocery store with the screaming baby, just trying to finish and get home with a shred of dignity, or is it sanity?I’ve since seen mothers in the store with little ones who are past the point of no return and I wonder at the varied responses I see to …

Speaking From Experience

James and John were fishermen by trade, the rough and tumble sons of Zebedee. With these two, everything must have been a competition. Jesus chose them to be among his closest followers and nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder.” (Mark 3:17) Even before they were called out by the Christ, these boys must have been pretty …

Peace Be Still

I slept through Hurricane Hugo on the couch in my parents’ living room under an open window. A tree fell, missing my car by inches. The wind left our yard strewn with downed limbs and debris but I was completely unaware until morning. To this day, I love a storm. I’m grateful for shelter, of …

Whose Agenda?

Everyone has an agenda. You do. I do. Ultimately God does. Simply put, an agenda is a plan of things to be done or problems to be addressed. More to the point, it infers underlying intentions or motives. We all have them, even if we don’t recognize or acknowledge them ourselves. The Bible teaches that …

Over The Top

My portacath was the last visible sign of my cancer treatment. Radiation acted on my internal organs in a way I’ll never see with my eyes. Chemotherapy traveling through my bloodstream accessed every cell in my body, targeting stray cancer cells wherever they tried to hide. Multiple scars on my abdomen are visual reminders of …