Welcome — this is the word whispered to my heart as I think of my area of focus in 2021. The dictionary definition is always a good starting place. “to receive or accept with pleasure; regard as pleasant or good.” Romans 15: 7 says, “Wherefore receive ye one another, as …
At the beginning of the year, I had big plans….or perhaps, un-plans. Then, the craziness we’ve come to know as 2020 descended and I updated those plans again. Now, both finally and all too soon, we’re at the end of 2020. I don’t want this year to be wasted. Probably …
She looked forward to the year ahead with anticipation. It promised to be the best year of her young life! This was the year her dreams would come true, and she would reach the goal to which she had aspired since she was a small girl. This would be her …
Reading has always been one of my favorite things to do. I cannot remember a day passing since I was about 4 years old when I did not read something. Before that, I had a collection of books on tape which my parents played for me through large headphones until …
The night is dark. It is that time of night when “evening” is no longer a descriptor and early morning is hours away. I toss and turn with fever or stomach trouble or a heartache of some kind. The circumstances have changed over the years. I feel a presence in …
My son and I sat in the booth waiting on our breakfast. We were the only ones in the restaurant. A friendly server came to our table and took our order. A short time later, we removed our masks as she set down our plates. I asked her if the …
I sit before Him desperately searching the Scriptures for something….anything….to get me through this. I pray through the list of miracles I need. I try to wait before Him, but I fidget. Things needing completed today call to me even as I call out to Him. When my eyes settle …
We enter the familiar building with rows of pews littered with Grandma’s shawl, Brother So-and-So’s “church” Bible and the occasional box of tissues. Arriving home means kicking off our shoes and letting out the pent-up breath of a day’s work. Entering this place means removing figurative shoes and exhaling with …
It has been almost 5 months since I wrote about how this year would be unhurried. What an understatement! How everything has slowed, including all plans and expectations! As we flipped the calendar page to a new year and decade, I also remarked to members of my family that this …
“Real life is huge and unhurried. Hurry constricts my world, making it much narrower and smaller. And as hurry narrows my vision, I lose perspective on what matters most.” — Alan Fadling, An Unhurried Life: Following Jesus’ Rhythms of Work and Rest As I enter a new year and a …
