The holidays can be a challenging time. Dysfunctional families, loneliness, the pressure to deliver the perfect family gathering, travel plans and mishaps. But these times can also bring great joy as people renew connections and embrace the blessings of the season with gratitude and love. The stresses of cooking can often disappear in the hugs…
It was November 28, 1977. Another Thanksgiving had concluded. Family who had traveled from out of town had long since packed their cars with bags of foil-covered leftovers. They would be warm reminders of the celebration. My mother was interrupted in the middle of her cleaning regimen by labor pains. Restoring the house to order…
This year has packed a punch more widespread and significant than any other in our lifetime. Every time I think I’ve seen the worst, a new devastating event is lurking around the corner. The global pandemic would have been enough to deliver a wallop on its own. As we layer on racial unrest, police brutality,…
The curved metal prongs dragged through the ground behind the tractor, slicing through the dirt and ripping up weeds that threatened to choke the life out of the plants. The task was threefold: kill the weeds, place good soil on top of the rows, and allow the air to penetrate the soil and promote good…
We struggled up the last hill, staggering under the weight of our packs. As we crested that hill, we saw it. Our goal. The point that we had been walking toward for the past week in the wilds of the Black Hills of South Dakota. What was this oasis we had longed for in the…
There are many history-making moments recorded in the Bible that took place around a simple meal: Abraham serving dinner to three mysterious travelers; Joseph’s brothers having lunch while deciding what to do with their little brother after tossing him into an empty well; Joseph serving those same brothers a sumptuous meal years later in Egypt;…