My wife, Lori, and I took an Alaskan cruise to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. After boarding the ship, the cruise director held an optional orientation meeting. During his introduction, he involved the crowd. “How many of you are celebrating a wedding anniversary this week?” was followed by, “How many have been married five years?” …
I gently placed the pine cone in Stella’s tender hands, careful not to let its rough edges scratch her. Stella, my two-year-old granddaughter, had spent the day after her mother’s surgery close to her, perhaps a daughterly instinct to care for her mom. But the next day, she was ready to romp with me. We …
The phrase jumped off the page. “Let go and let God.” I flinched. And then I asked myself why. Why did that phrase cause an automatic response within me? I was sitting among several kindred spirits. The person who read the devotion had no idea I winced. As a pastor, I sometimes heard it in …
Most news companies and book publishers have a “summer reading list” of book titles guaranteed to keep us reading from June to September. They roll out list after list, from books to read on the beach, to books for a rainy summer day, to the perfect reads before drifting off to a summer night’s dream. …
Michael’s eyes darted around his classroom, hoping to find a familiar face. It was his first day in school, first grade. His parents had explained that this school would provide him with more opportunities, better facilities, and diverse resources. Hopefully, he would make friends, too. As Michael continued investigating his surroundings, he realized he was …