“…be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” When we lived in Italy I loved the day after Easter because it was also a holiday. While Easter Sunday was chocked full of activity, food and celebration, the day after we recuperated. We slept in, chewed on leftovers and reflected on what had just transpired. Jesus’ […]
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In a backdrop of politics, taxes and kings, the disciples came to Jesus with a question. Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? It was the underlying challenge of Satan when he sought to be like God. Our children attended Italian public grade school. I remember them lined up, three sets of long […]
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The sun streams through trees, dappling its light across the deck. Its brightness bathes my upturned face in warmth. I sigh, and the sound is a whisper of praise. It is a perfect moment, and I drink it in slowly, savoring its pleasure. Every day has at least one perfect moment. But sometimes they are hard […]
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“Hi Beautiful,” he says from the doorway of her hospital room. He is slightly out of breath from hurrying, from untangling little arms squeezed around his neck, and giving the baby a bottle. He unslings the computer bag from around his shoulder, hoists it over his head and drops it onto a chair pulled up […]
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[I’m excited to introduce my guest contributor today. Eryn Lynum is a friend and author of 936 Pennies, Discovering the Joy of Intentional Parenting. Her book available today is engaging, honest and full of encouragement for every mom in the trenches. -Sylvia] We were three weeks into a month-long road trip with our three young […]
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They called it the 50 yard dash. I was introduced to it at recess in first grade. I knew I was bad before anyone told me, in fact maybe that’s why I was so pitiful. I knew when we lined our toes up against the chalk edge on brown Kansas soil I’d be last. From […]
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One of my dearest friends lay in the cold Kansas soil. November winds blew the tree limbs outside the window where we sat. My husband and I listened as the grieving spouse talked, his sorrow, like tears fell on our ears. “There’s something about skin,” he said. “Yesterday, I walked on icy pavement. I waited […]
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Mary the maidservant of the Lord found herself in an unimaginable situation. A child grew within her, Son of the Highest, without human father and apart from the curse of sin. Fully human. Fully God. Completely Holy. “…That Holy One who is born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35; NKJV. It was […]
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[republished from November 2014, also published at Metro Voice News KC p.12] Thanksgiving tangled with unanswered prayers. I slumped against the antiseptic tiled hallway. My stalwart, “Hang on and hold it in,” gave way to unrestrained tears like prisoners let free. Crystal rivulets dropped to the floor at my feet. Each time I exited my daughter’s hospital […]
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“Teach me,” my words stumbled out. “Teach me how to lose my daughter.” Surely this godly woman who’d lived through the horrific murder of her son could tell me how to keep from drowning in the waters of grief that suffocated me. Her eyes widened, startled, and she drew a sharp intake of breath. “I […]
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