This story begins last year, the year of the novel coronavirus and racial awakenings and climate change prophecies that have marked all of us. On a summer day in our Texas town, with the heat so intense the locals call it “hair dryer weather,” I made a decision to purchase a Black Lives Matter yard…
I was raised in the Bible Belt South in a Christian home. While I have grown significantly in my faith since then, I am grateful for my simple understanding of the gospel as a child and the genuine decision I made at a young age to spend my life following Christ. My recollection of the…
A friend described to me how she had prayed not to do something, knew God was telling her not to do it, even asked for the Holy Spirit to help her not to do it—and then did it anyway. As she shared her story, memories flooded my mind. Times when I told myself I would…
A few months back, my daughter had an appointment with her orthodontist. She has follow-up appointments every eight weeks while she endures the childhood anguish of wearing braces. The office has a really cool incentive program for kids: they can earn “wooden nickels” by doing things like maintaining good dental hygiene and having no broken…
One of the nerdy things my husband and I have done throughout most of our marriage is watch Jeopardy at night before we go to bed. Alex Trebek’s passing was like someone we knew leaving our home. It felt closer than many other celebrity passings. One of the last things Alex said publicly was, “We’re…
Twenty-twenty was an incredibly lonely year for many people. The COVID-19 pandemic left us stranded in our homes, using virtual tools as a substitute for human connection. While technology has been an invaluable resource to help bridge the gap over the last year, it has also proven to be a poor replacement for true connection….