Influencers are a new spin on an old idea. We’ve been called motivators, navigators, encouragers, drivers, activists, even instigators and aggravators. What started as an idea catches on and gains momentum. Trends and fads are sparked by such ideas but so are movements and revolutions. Christianity has its roots in Judaism but its inception was …
It’s Not Who I Am
I’ve pulled my share of all-nighters. I’ve finished books started the night before as the sun came up. I’ve chaperoned teen lock ins by snacking all night. I’ve sat up with sick children while fighting stomach bug myself. The closest I’ve ever come to an all night prayer vigil was by the bedside of my …
We Are His Hands
Our birds enjoy berry, seed, and mealworm cylinders near our front porch throughout the day. These now last a good deal longer since we installed a squirrel baffle. The squirrels still stop by, along with the doves, to glean the scattered seeds that fall from the feeder to the ground but they’re no longer eating …
Did You Go To The Doctor?
II Chronicles 16:9 It’s that time again. My annual cancer screenings are scheduled every June around the date of my initial resection surgery. I still have blood tests and see my oncologist every six months but once a year, I have a CT scan and colonoscopy to be sure the cancer is gone for good. …
And We’re Live!
Last month I had the opportunity to record an hour long podcast interview remotely. I won’t lie, I was nervous. I prayed over my content, prepared my notes and answered the call feeling solidly prepared. Marla, my host, did a beautiful job of putting me at ease while getting the formalities out of the way. …
Healed From The Inside Out
The Lolly bus rolling one hundred thousand miles has caused me to recollect the places it’s been and the cargo it’s carried over the past eight years. There’s the surface memories: the trek to Houston with Jacob, many trips to the beach and the mountains of North Carolina, and Virginia, bikes in tow to ride …
Make It Stop
Hurricane Harvey arrived in Houston, Texas just before Jacob was scheduled for brain surgery that had the potential to end his seizures. Though he turned nineteen during his weeklong evaluation earlier in that year, he was to be treated as a pediatric patient. This would allow me to stay with him in the hospital as …
Shared Stories
Amelia’s courage grew as she reached for the handholds on the rock wall. She gripped tightly to the blue and yellow holds while moving her feet onto the green and red. My husband and I built the playground to last so I had boarded off two open rail sections to keep the babies from falling. …
Preach
I’m stymied! I’m committed to memorizing Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount this year but I’m barely twenty verses in and I’ve hit a wall. Focusing on new verses interrupts my memory of the initial ones. I could use my age as an excuse or cite unrealistic expectations and simply give up but I have other …
No More Ice Cream
Hot and humid was the forecast for our zoo day so I promised my grandbabies soft serve ice cream after lunch. We stood in line behind half a dozen other patrons inching our way toward the ordering window. When only two people remained ahead of us, the worst happened. We saw the lone cashier, half …
A Fitting Reply 