“For You formed my inward parts; you wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are your works, and my soul knows it very well.” (Ps. 139:13-14 ESV) The oft-quoted verses above from Psalm 139 adorn a small wooden plaque that hangs in…
“Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” (Gen. 1:31 NLT) I blame it on my brother for giving me a full-color book of endangered species when I was around seven years old. I memorized that thing. Between that, our set of wildlife encyclopedias, and his stash…
When I was growing up in Oregon, we frequently took day trips to the coast. We might drive an hour and a half to two hours, depending on which beach or bay was our destination. Back then, there wasn’t an effective way to check the hourly weather forecast, so we took our chances. Sometimes we’d…
Our world is such a beautifully broken place. Regardless of where we live, beauty is all around us, and the fingerprints of God are evident. I grew up in Texas, where it’s generally hot and flat, but beauty is in so many of its regions. East Texas is treed and lovely, huge tranquil lakes can…
A few months ago, I had cataract surgery on my left eye. As soon as the anesthesia wore off, the vision in that eye began to clear. For several days afterward, I found myself alternating closing my eyes, right eye then left, amazed at the comparison. I was genuinely stunned at the difference. It was…
“I’ll take that one,” said the tanned, surfer-haired teenage boy. He sounded cocky. I shifted uncomfortably in my shorts and old navy T-shirt, all long legs and freckles and sunburn and salty red hair. I stood beside a few other friends, lined up against the wall in a crowded hotel lobby like we were in…