This post is part of the One Word at a Time Blog Carnival hosted by Bridget Chumbley. The week’s topic: Fellowship. With my apologies in advance, here’s an attempt at a poem: In the Fellowship Hall Eleven years old, Legs cold on a metal folding chair. Surrounded by fellowship In an echoing hall. Sunday mornings, [...]

[Read more →]

I don’t like the topic that I’m about to write about. Seriously, I have some pretty strong feelings about this subject. What is it? Condemnation (i.e. disapproval or judgment). I know, right? Who has positive feelings about THAT? Maybe the members of the Inquisition… (“NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!”) Now. Setting aside the (lamer than [...]

[Read more →]

Saturday in New York City, the sky was brilliant. Clear, crisp air whipped through concrete canyons, providing a perfect counterpoint to the hot sunshine. Viewed from above (at the top of Rockefeller Center), the city shone in the bright light. Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Hudson River, and tall buildings stretching almost to the [...]

[Read more →]

Mary Beth Chapman tells a story in her new book, Choosing to See, about a family ceremony that didn’t turn out as planned. Months after the death of their daughter Maria, Mary Beth brought home a simple white pitcher. She sealed it tightly in a zipper bag. Then that evening, the remaining members of the [...]

[Read more →]

This post is for Bridget Chumbley’s One Word Blog Carnival. Go visit to read more on this week’s word: Ego. Two of my children are approaching their teen years. They’re tweens, in today’s language. And their tweenitude comes with a healthy dose of insecurity, embarrassment, and self-centeredness. Everyone else is looking at them, making fun [...]

[Read more →]

JOY MOURNING Sometime during the night, our Callie Dog passed away. She brought us joy for 14 years, and we’ll miss her terribly. The Bible contains no clue into what happens to our pets after they die. But I’d like to believe that they travel on ahead of us to Heaven, to wait patiently until [...]

[Read more →]

It’s a sign of the apocalypse. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you’ve already figured out that my writing comes in waves. Sometimes I go weeks between posts; others, I’m a posting machine. If I could predict it, I would. If I could modulate it, I would. But I can’t. So [...]

[Read more →]

Self-control, self-control… How in the world will I write about self-control for today’s One Word Blog Carnival? It’s not like I’m a shining example of self-control or its cousin self-discipline. Listen. Last night, I couldn’t even control myself with my middle child. I couldn’t keep myself from MAKING HER LIFE MISERABLE. It all started when [...]

[Read more →]

For goodness’ sake. For the sake of goodness. Because goodness deserves your attention… You really should visit the GOODNESS Blog Carnival on Bridget Chumbley’s One Word at a Time. *** Before I go on, I feel like I should say, “And now for something completely different…” In Jerusalem last week, we visited Yad Vashem, Israel’s [...]

[Read more →]

Patience is both very difficult AND very easy for me. What do I mean? Well, I find BEING patient as much of a struggle as anyone else would, I guess. But ACTING patient? Piece of cake. (And just to be clear: I’m NOT bragging.) The skills learned in childhood are often used well into adulthood. [...]

[Read more →]