“What brings you joy?” she asked me. I was sitting in a room full of women, having just shared some of the trials the Lord had brought me through in recent years. “Just in general?” I questioned. “In ministry,” she answered. “What brings you joy in ministry?” Oh, that’s easy, I thought and then said […]
A few days ago on my early morning walk, I noticed some leaves drifting down from the neighborhood trees. A few leaves scattered in the breeze, falling right in front of me. I happily crunched over them because when the trees start undressing, I remember that the heat of a long, discouraging summer will certainly […]
Have you ever found yourself yelling at a character in a movie or a book because they’re making a really stupid decision? “Don’t open that door!” you think, trying to imbue the fictional character with some common sense via telepathy. “Nothing good can come from opening that door.” And then you sigh in frustration when […]
Every morning this week, I’ve watched the sun rise. Every morning, without fail, the sun persistently pushes down the dark of night, lower and lower, into the horizon until I can’t see anything but light. It happens so slowly that you can’t tell it’s happening at all. Were you to try to decide which moment […]
I didn’t have to look at the clock to know what it said, but I looked anyway. Two-thirty-six a.m. I know what that part of the night feels like; it’s not a new phenomenon. I’ve had nightly waking pain for the better part of eleven years. I creep out of bed, walk in a stooped […]
“I can’t believe I’m asking you to pray for this,” I told my friend sheepishly. “It’s the dumbest prayer request. I mean, God has said no for such a long time, why am I still pushing for a yes?” I laughed into the phone, but an errant tear slipped down my cheek. “I want you […]
On a Friday night eighteen years ago, we were setting up flowers and candles. We were practicing a processional. We were finalizing the order of service, the songs, the vows. We had a fancy dinner with our families and closest friends. We said goodnight and goodbye to our separate lives. Eighteen years ago, I went […]
My husband and I start and end our days the same way: walking loops through our neighborhood, discussing first what we think the day will be like, and later, how it actually went. My husband waves at absolutely everyone and will strike up a conversation with anyone within yelling distance. I wasn’t surprised, then, when […]
Last December, one of our faithful elderly church members passed away. As frail as his health had been prior to his death, his wife of seventy-one years had already been suffering from Alzheimer’s. She was recently moved to a nursing facility that specializes in the type of care she requires. As restrictions have recently lifted […]
A warm June rain soaks the world outside my window. We’ve had a few of those wild, humid summer storms that send us to the basement listening for the tornado sirens. But not today. Today, it’s just a good, gentle soaking. While I sit at my dining room table tapping away on my laptop, everything […]
