I have never celebrated Valentine’s Day. Perhaps I should clarify: I’ve never celebrated Valentine’s Day as part of a couple. Since I’m a forty-two-year-old who’s been married almost twelve years, you would think I’d have had many a romantic February 14. The reality, though, is that I have never had a Hallmark movie–style Valentine’s Day….
Let no one come to you without leaving better. ~Mother Teresa Mother Teresa’s words are so deeply etched on my heart that I repeat this simple phrase and let it soak into every fiber of my being anew every day: Let no one come to you without leaving better. No one. It’s a monumental task,…
A retired pastor in our congregation often proclaimed, “God is so kind.” When Pastor Chuck died last year, my husband, Daryl, adopted the phrase as his own, a tribute to his mentor and friend. “God is so kind,” he says, watching the plants in our garden beds sprout in the backyard, tucking our sons in,…
“Those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.” (1 John 2:5 NLT) I fell in love with my husband right before I left for my freshman year of college. With four hours of driving time separating us because he attended a different…
“This is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another” (1 John 3:11 ESV). A hand-painted sign above my front door reads “Love one another” in elegant script. While the lettering and words are beautiful, I have the sentiment displayed there not because I like how it looks,…
My heart sank as I heard the teacher call my name. “Megan, you’re being checked out for a doctor’s appointment.” I couldn’t believe my poor luck. It was recess time, and today was the day the stars were finally going to align. I had been cast to play April and my crush would be playing…