And it came to pass in those days, the wife was harried, and the husband bombarded. Time was ticking like a clock, calendar pages flipped like a fan and a list of one million and two things-to-do grew. Deadlines loomed. Expectations overwhelmed. Sharks were in the water. I plopped down my money, paid for the […]
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The crowd raises to its feet around the auditorium, a representation of a myriad of countries. Former missionaries who served in Brazil, Mali and Russia stand to sing. An elderly man, his hair so white it looks like snow sits stooped in a wheel-chair. His wife is gone now. I wonder if it still hurts […]
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Sometimes the dots line up, and we connect one to the other and the picture is clear. We see what God was trying to do and we say, “Oh, I get it. That’s why that had to happen that way.” That’s why the tire was flat. That’s why I got sick. That’s why I lost […]
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“…He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.” Daniel 4:35; NKJV In anticipation of what could be one of the worst storms of modern history, I heard some interesting responses from the Christian community. They’ve been rolling through my mind like a tumbleweed, spurring more […]
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I walked around the room with a rubber duck in my hand. I laid it in plain sight on a shelf of the book case. It’s classic yellow face and orange bill pointed to the door where my daughter would skip through in a few seconds. I smiled in anticipation. “Heidi,” I called, “Come find […]
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We are celebrating forty-three years of marriage. All you math people stop it. Just stop. It is a long time, that’s the point. I have spent forty-three years trying to figure out that “man that God gave me.” I do not think the same way he does. We see things differently. His reactions contrast mine […]
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From the back seat window the countryside slid by. Green grape vines draped across wooden stakes like outstretched arms. The road ahead curved to the left, I knew it well. A hen, halted mid-stride before crossing into our path, her wings flapped, her jerky movements paused, and she clucked a warning in Italian. Everything was […]
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The seconds tick at the cash register. We shake out our Italian, like a moth-eaten shirt, and blink away the fog of jet-lag. Everything is a de-j-vu of having been and done long ago. Phil rifles through his wallet, the cashier waits. A seed of uncomfortable turns into embarrassment. When the opportunity came to spend […]
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Back in the day when “missionary” brought to mind pith helmets for the men and polyester ruffles for the women, my husband and I took three little girls away from their grandparents and everything they knew to Italy. The term carried with it good-byes like “see you in about four years.” Going overseas was a […]
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“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15; NKJV. When Phil and I left for Italy with a two-year-old, a four-year-old and a seven-year-old, we were about as prepared as any missionary could be. Like a couple without children are experts on childrearing, we had […]
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