Feet on the Ground, Ministry in our Hearts
Today, the real mission work begins. At least, that's what one might assume. When we load our bus with bags of supplies for families living in the surrounding communities here in eastern Honduras, we'll know our week of missionary work has begun. Actually, the ministry that's called our group of 12 women and one brave 18-year-old boy to...
In Real Life, Wonder Woman is a Redhead
It's the top-grossing film so far this summer. "Wonder Woman" tells the back-story of DC Comics’ iconic Amazon Warrior Princess Diana. Movie trailers show Wonder Woman filling the big screen with heroics in her quest to save the world during "the war to end all wars, discovering her full powers and true destiny." (Quote: IMBD.com) The heroine...
Breathe: Why I Write and Attend Conferences
A good friend called my cell phone recently while I was attending a writers' conference in Holland, Michigan. I've done some freelance work for her and she had a request. When I told her where I was, she asked "Why do you go to a conference when you already know how to write?" I had to smile. Why, indeed? First, I can always improve my...
Redeeming Ruth: A Story of Love and Hope
I love adoption stories. Reading or hearing about families that are formed or enriched by opening their hearts and homes to a child gives me hope for the world in general. Adoption, to me, is the ultimate example of sacrificial love.. Meadow Rue Merrill and her family did just that. In 2004, Meadow and her husband welcomed an abandoned...
For You — ‘Everbloom: Stories of Deeply Rooted and Transformed Lives’
"And then the day came, when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to Bloom." Anais Nin I would love to give every woman in my life a copy of Everbloom: Stories of Living Deeply Rooted and Transformed Lives. Instead, I’m going to share bits of it here (and give away one copy) in hopes that you will give...
For the Love of a Tea Party :: Thistle Farms Changes Lives
There was a party in Nashville, Tennessee, this week and I really wanted to be there. I would have brought the tea cups. Let me explain. A few years ago, on a trip to see my sons in Nashville, Tennessee, I ran across a quaint little café on the northwest side of the city. Thistle Stop Cafe sits in a corner storefront on Charlotte Pike. With...
A God Who Wastes Nothing
I sliced my thumb today. A pretty solid gash from a freshly-sharpened knife instantly covered the peppers I was chopping for a breakfast scramble. I ran to the sink to inspect the wound, letting my son clean up my mess and take over the chopping. "Is it as bad as that time in Nashville?" he asked. Ah, yes -- the time I sliced open my thumb...
Five Minute Friday :: Sing A Song of Ascent
I haven't done this for awhile, but I'm diving in today to write for five minutes flat on the word "Sing". Find more five-minute essays or join the conversation here. I cannot. Sing, that is. I warble along with songs on the radio or on my I-phone and I put my heart into worship on Sundays, but singing solo is just not my thing. And believe me...
From the Bookshelf: Susie Finkbeiner’s Pearl Spence Stories
One of my favorite things about reading good books is sharing them with others. A Cup of Dust and A Trail of Crumbs by Susie Finkbeiner are works of fiction I can wholeheartedly recommend. Susie, an author from West Michigan, has a way with words, to say the least. I've read all four of her novels: My Mother's Chamomile, Paint Chips, A Cup of...
When Your Little Sister Turns Out To Be Your Hero
My youngest sister doesn’t look like a strong woman. A “do-rag” covers her shiny bald head and these days she’s tipping the scales at just over 100 pounds. She isn’t much of a threat to anyone or anything. Or is she? Just after my ninth birthday, around the time I was getting used to the idea of having a new step-mom, our family of three...