Every year around this time, especially when I'm pondering what to write about "love," I'm bombarded with song lyrics from the soundtrack of my teen years. Most of them come from pop songs I recorded on cassette with my single-speaker boom box. In so many of the lyrics about love, questions … [Read more...] about What’s Your Love Story?
Grace
Welcomed With Forgiveness
{This work of fiction is based on the framework of John 21:8-9. Previously Part 1, Part 2} Water rushed into his ears, and muted the night sounds. The quiet underwater allowed the screaming questions and the agonizing apology to echo. When Peter broke the surface, he saw Jesus bending over … [Read more...] about Welcomed With Forgiveness
When Trick or Treaters Make You Think of Jesus
Before pinterest I had to come up with kid costumes on my own. And since visual design isn't one of my strong suits, I came up with exactly one costume. All three of my boys wore it for the year or two that it fit. Only every year, it seemed at least one of them had a fever or some version of the … [Read more...] about When Trick or Treaters Make You Think of Jesus
The Truly Good Father
It sounds almost the same in Latin based languages. It’s the language of a baby, or perhaps a toddler. One repeated syllable packed with endearment. Dada, in English. Pappa, in Afrikaans. Taata, in Lugandan. Abba, in Hebrew. It's one of the first words spoken by a child to one of … [Read more...] about The Truly Good Father
Congratulations!
It took about 10 minutes to print on my high school’s dot-matrix printer. When the final flourishes of clip-art rolled out of the printer, I ripped the hole-y edges off the sides of my five-foot paper banner. At my graduation reception, it crowned my shrine of photo albums, news clippings, and … [Read more...] about Congratulations!
A Mother’s Heavy Burden of Being a Good Example
Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went, The lamb was sure to go. In nursery rhymes, pithy sayings, Sunday school lessons, books, blogs, social research and Scripture we learn that for better or for worse, our children will do what we do. Our … [Read more...] about A Mother’s Heavy Burden of Being a Good Example