“Our Father in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9 NIV) Unlike women whose fathers’ choices and failings have led to neglect, abuse, or chaotic homes, I have no difficulty remembering and celebrating my late father’s life on Father’s Day. He was a fine man and a good parent to me. I loved him. Yet when considering our triune…
Landing on one choice over another can be frustrating, at least for indecisive me. Last fall I enjoyed visiting the increasingly famous Silos in Waco, Texas, but was purchasing an item from Magnolia Market worth waiting in the lines that snaked through the store? What if I didn’t buy anything and later regretted it? What…
This is a cautionary tale about rocking the boat. My mother took me to the small college to begin my freshman year. A fine school, both then and now, it was my parents’ alma mater. “You’ll love it,” they said. I didn’t love it. I didn’t even like it most of the time. The school…
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (Psalm 103:2 ESV) In nearly every relationship and association with another, human beings deal with benefits, at least subconsciously. We consider getting them, losing them—even offering them and sometimes forgoing them. We rarely truly forget them, and we most often choose to trust in…
“In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free” (Psalm 118:5 NLT). Barring fierce snowstorms or freezing cold, winter can have a quiet, breathtaking beauty in the Midwest. But in March, when spring first appears on the calendar, brutal winds still blow, temperatures drop far too low…
My father was a full-time minister, and in his denomination and district covering half a state, the pastors were assigned to a different church every few years. When it was your turn to move, the process was kind of like musical chairs, only no one was left without a “seat.” On a single, exhausting, and…