“…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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“How did you do it?” my daughter asks with an exasperated sigh, the kind that expires like a thin whisper from her soul. She is weary, and the noise level is high. She plops down next to me in a chair and then leans to one side and pulls out a Lego man from under […]
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Suddenly prepositions and conjunctions are popping up in my Bible everywhere, because in fact, they are everywhere, joining words and clauses. I’ve overlooked them. What are little insignificant words, mere prepositions like “and,” “but,” “or,” “to,” in comparison to the big guns like action verbs, proper nouns and descriptive adjectives? It turns out insignificant connecters […]
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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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“The things I do for my kids,” I thought with a half eaten Big Mac in one gloved hand, and piece of wilted lettuce in the other. “But this tops them all.” I stood on a stool leaning into a food court’s garbage bin. I was not happy! Somewhere in either my bin or the one […]
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“The doctor will just take this itty-bitty part,” my finger taps my daughter’s birthmark. I wear an intentional mask of cheerful confidence. “It won’t take long and it will be all over,” I say with a nod of assurance. My six-year-old Heidi’s eyes are fixed, worried on that brown blotch. Her outstretched arm holds still […]
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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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A fistful of trousers yanks in my grandson’s little hand. “Dadda,” he urges. His little face is upturned. Longing and hope fix his expression. My grandson expects response. After all, this is his personal father, the one that belongs only to him, apart from all the other fathers in the room. My son looks down […]
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