I’m not a good lover. Let me pause before you think I just handed you more information than you care to receive, like a bad Facebook post. Here is what I mean: I don’t know how to love like Christ loved. I simply can’t reach it. I know this because a pile of dirty laundry…
This past Lenten season, I decided to embark on the 21-day The Daniel Fast (www.thedanielfast.com, Susan Gregory). When I “give up” a single item (coffee), I find ways to compensate (tea). Or I choose a sacrifice (chocolate) that can be accomplished without drawing on Christ. I needed something that would invade my whole day, every…
The summer before I turned fifteen, I went to a Christian camp with my youth group. Although it was a wonderful experience, one wherein I began to develop my own faith, my adolescence was still steeped in drama and self-centeredness. I made it clear to God that I needed to hear from him personally that…
Two summers ago we went on our first international vacation as a family. Mexico was our destination, and with much excitement—and a little trepidation on my part—we packed up and flew to blue waters and white-sand beaches. We were all ready for new adventures. Our kids are practically part fish, growing up in a Texas…
Some of my most valuable possessions are in a plastic box with a snap top. It sits on a shelf in my garage surrounded by Christmas decorations, out-of-season clothes, and old VHS tapes. As I prepared to clean out the garage last week, I pulled my treasure chest off the shelf. Because it’s stuffed full,…
“Good morning. How are you?” A hiker with official-looking hiking poles greets me as I pass. “Good, thanks. How are you?” I return the greeting, wondering if he can tell this is my first time hiking this trail. He’s just completed his trek as I set off on mine. I glance at the wooden display…