“I want to be in your court,” stated two year old Thomas again flatly. I wasn’t understanding and he was clearly frustrated. His mom and I had taken him to see two sisters, students of mine, play basketball a few weeks before so I assumed he was remembering and wanted to talk about that, but …
Can I Trust You?
My life from age twelve asked, “Can I trust you?” I asked myself this of every human being I encountered, particularly males. Everyone became suspect, even God. I fear I am not alone in my questioning. You have been hurt, have you not? Your trust has been shaken by sickness, circumstance, or sin in the …
Is That Legal?
I saw hundreds of posts during the power outages following Helene reminding drivers that to properly navigate malfunctioning traffic lights, follow the rules for a four way stop. I live in a comparatively small city but some of our major intersections where six or eight lanes converge reminded me of playing Frogger on the original …
The Wrong Side of the Bed
Amelia has never been a great sleeper but at two, her inconsolable acid hours gravitated from evenings to mornings. You just never know whether she will wake all smiles, thoroughly rested and ready for the day or refuse breakfast with wails and sobs that defy consolation. Some mornings she just wakes up on the wrong …
Look To The Mountains
Our collective gaze is directed toward the western North Carolina mountains. Places I’ve known and visited as a child- Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, Black Mountain- so recently devastated by a storm that should have never reached their borders, were caught completely off their guard. When Helene stalled out over the Smokies after several days of …
Compatibility
The church where I was married to my husband of thirty-three years called a new pastor mere months before our wedding, which had been scheduled for over a year. He required us to attend premarital counseling sessions with him before he performed our ceremony. We met with him over the course of a month, completing …
No More Wasted Time
When our kids aren’t sleeping or eating appropriately, we look at what’s going on in the moment to try and find a reason. The problem, however, most likely stems from something further back than we tend to look. Maybe they were exposed to a germ last week that has been working against their little systems. …
Same But Different
Four grandchildren, similar in so many ways, bear traces of genetic code passed through familial lines from our forebears beyond the five generations for which I can account. I am so much Myrtle passed through David to me, but I am also Ansel through Joyce. The lines expand each time a marriage happens and the …
Practice What You Preach
“Shhhh!” scolded Amelia, her little finger up to her mouth. “I can talk,” answered Thomas. This exchange was happening across my lap during worship. The deacon voiced the closing prayer and service was nearly over. We would just barely make it through the final song. The snacks ran out before the sermon and the toddlers …
Unrealistic Expectations
“But I don’t want to tell myself no,” stated Thomas flatly. We’ve been memorizing the fruit of God’s Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 with a little song and he knows that self-control means sometimes telling yourself no, even if you really want to do something. Of course, it can also mean pushing yourself to do something …
A Fitting Reply 