Category: hope
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A Love of Language
I have long loved languages and learning about other cultures. It probably derives from a passion for travel and meeting new people, even in my own neighborhood. It is an active interest in who or what shapes them, how they live, who they are, and who they are becoming. This passion led me to study…
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Continuing Education
Some time ago, I took a continuing education writing class at a local college. I was there because I was unemployed, in job search, and exploring new interests. The Lord was yet again stripping away those things I clutched on to for my identity and resetting my heart priorities toward Him. At the time, my…
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Heed the Shepherd
I have a friend who I once overheard sharing that he sometimes associates people with different dog breeds based on their character. Kind of a strange thing to do, right? Curious, I butted into the conversation and nervously asked what dog breed he thought I fit. He replied that an Irish Setter or an English…
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Time Revealed
I have recently been reminded that I can tend to approach the Bible in a very specific, but somewhat limiting, manner. As a means of daily sustenance, I read the Bible seeking to understand more about God, His character through what He has done in the past, and in what He is currently doing in…
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Timeout
As a child, when I behaved badly, one or both of my parents would send me to my room for a timeout – a set period of time for the outburst to stop and for me to think about what I had done. As a teenager, it is very possible I was banished out of…
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Adjust the Sails
To manage expectations, I do not know how to maneuver a sailboat. I am also on a roadtrip, not on a sailboat. I am, however, a huge fan of being out on the water or at the beach so perhaps there is room for that. Sailing sounds wonderful as long as there is someone else…
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The Great Adventure
Recently, I have been contemplating taking a road trip westward with my little pup. Like me, he’s not really a pup anymore; that’s simply a term of endearment for the faithful four-legged companion of eight years who follows me everywhere. Everywhere, that is, that doesn’t involve very long trips in the car. He is not…
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The Good Thing About Friday
The good thing about Friday is not an upcoming spring recess. Nor is it a long holiday weekend, or dinner with family on Easter Sunday. These are all good things, but Good Friday is so much more. Christ was crucified nearly two thousand years ago after living a human life of about thirty years which…
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Mystery Fruit
“We brought some date bread. Would you like a slice?” So, the conversation began. I was still a little hungry after dinner. The bread looked delicious, but the fruit did not look like dates. It actually looked more like Greek olives so I expected it to be savory. When I smelled the bread however, it…
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A Heart Set Free
For a long time, my heart blamed you for everything that happened between us even as my head told me I had shared responsibility for the breakup. Anger, pride, selfishness, and impatience led to hurtful words, loss of relationship and mutual abandonment. I rarely spoke about it then, and I rarely do now. At the…
in heartbreak and in hope 