He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t give a lecture. He didn’t sulk or give the silent treatment. He ran. His arms were open. He bestowed gifts. He restored. Do you forgive others the way the prodigal’s father forgave him? I will be the first to admit I do not. Permit me a brief recap of…
“So how have you been?” This is usually the first question Heather asks as we begin what will, most likely, be a ninety-minute phone conversation. Most of our nine-year friendship has been built during phone conversations. We started out living in the same state, just forty-five minutes away from each other. We got together often,…
I’ll never forget the morning I gave birth to my first son. I felt such a sense of accomplishment as the nurse laid him on my chest and said, “It’s a boy!” I cried and kept repeating the phrase, “I did it! I did it!” I had been in labor for twelve hours, in excruciating…
When I look at the friendships I’ve had over the course of forty-plus years, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. Not because I’ve had an abundance of friendships, but because my friendships have made my life richer and challenged me to be who I am today. An old saying notes three kinds of friendships: Friends for a…
In Matthew 11:28 (NIV), Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” When I’m in the midst of weariness and burden, Christ offers me rest. When I’m tired and weak from emotion and heartache, I can find intermission. I turn, and there he is, arms…
As we sat around the living room, the Christmas tree still aglow four days after Christmas, warmth from the fireplace heating the room, providing softness to all it touched, my husband held up the corner of a dining room chair for inspection. It now lacked the protective cap on the end, causing it to bobble…