Dear friends, It is absolutely true that death is at the forefront when your loved ones dies. Sometimes your loved one’s death hits you out of nowhere like getting hit by a semi-truck. The awfulness and finality of death has to be dealt with and relived until the reality can be absorbed. The deep wounds […]
Most Glorious Father, How I love my quiet time with You. There can be sparks of war, reports of violence near and far, deaths of loved ones, misunderstandings, relationships divided or under attack, threats of bad health or uncertainty of finance…but when I come to You to simply be in Your presence, it all melts […]
Heavenly Father, On the last day of 1999, when most people thought the world might end when it turned midnight and started a new century, my family filled a time capsule. It was actually a large empty popcorn tin. My husband and I and four of our children from ages 9-14 filled out a questionnaire […]
Dear Friends, Christmas can be very painful for those who are grieving the death of a loved one, but have you ever thought that Jesus was born to bring hope to those who are low in spirit, the broken-hearted; those who think they just can’t go on? This deep gut-wrenching, life-shattering, paralyzing loss in your […]
Heavenly Father, I received a message from someone who was sad. Because of their current situation they could give no Christmas gifts this year as they had delighted to do in the past. Though my heart goes out to them, I know from experience that these are the times we learn our relationships are what […]
Most Holy Father, Almost twenty-seven years ago, my first husband died in my arms and was later “brought back.” That was a year before he passed and didn’t come back—when he finally went to his eternal home with You! This young man who was a gifted writer of songs, poems, and novels was at a […]
Most Holy Father, Can I dare say that I have identified with Mary many times in my life? Some may think that’s outrageous for me to say, but I know You know my heart, Lord…and I think that may be something that pleases You. In fact, maybe we all should expect Jesus like Mary did… […]
Heavenly Father, One of my favorite things is to tell of the wonderful ways I see You at work! Yesterday morning, I was teaching a very small preschool Sunday School Class (two rambunctious boys!) K was already in class feeling sorry for himself because there were no friends there. L came in late, making that […]
photo by Emily Juliuson Heavenly Father, Our pastor gave an excellent message on spiritual transformation today…and I couldn’t help thinking about the three caterpillars I found in my yard on my parsley plant about six weeks ago. I carefully put them in jars and gave one to three of our families to watch transform into […]
Glorious Heavenly Father, It has been a joy to work with children most all my life in one form or another. They amaze me with their thoughts (and keep me humble with their truth, and wear me out with their energy!) I have served as a licensed child care provider, early education teacher, Wee Worship […]