Suffering has been a very unwelcome part of my life. Recently, a new season of loss took a completely different shape from previous winters of my life. A different kind of cold settled in; not the sharp, brutal sub-zero kind, but a cloudy, damp, chills-to-the-bone cold. Like a slowly creeping fog that settles and stays, […]
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By: Kristen Wetherell If you’re human and breathing in and out the realities of this world, then you’ll resonate with Kristen’s blog post. All of us struggle with a sense of inadequacy and failure. The question is, where do we turn for hope? One of my favorite verses has always been Romans 8:1. I have […]
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All my life I’ve looked for meaning, especially the deeper, unseen significance in events, ceremonies, holidays, even details of God’s creation. So when a new friend, Judy Dabler, made this comment at the start of small gathering, I wrote it down in my journal and drew stars around it: “Human beings are meaning makers!” […]
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By Samuel Rainey Today’s guest post is authored by my son, a marriage and relationship therapist, who has gained deep wisdom from his work, his own learning at home and from his suffering. It is a great honor to share Samuel’s insight with you. I look forward to hearing from you how God uses these […]
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“The human soul longs for things higher, warmer, and purer.” Alexander Solzhenitsyn “To become ourselves is to enjoy God in alignment with the way He created us to be.” Crossway Devotional Psalter Once upon a time, a group of missionaries serving in Africa in the 1800s hired local villagers as porters, who knew the land […]
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Today’s guest post is from my son Samuel. I couldn’t be prouder of who he has become. From a charming beautiful boy to a man of deep compassion, wisdom, and desire to “see” people, Samuel has blossomed into more than I could have imagined because he has followed where God has led. His writing is […]
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Dear Barbara: How do I care for myself as a woman and mom? I’m curious to hear your thoughts on self-care and self-development which seems to be the thing right now. Thanks, Amanda I’m delighted to attempt a reply because this is a topic I’ve been thinking about for a long time, but especially in […]
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Christmas is barely three weeks past and soon Valentine’s Day will be upon us. How does that make you feel? Rushed? Tired? Resistant to the not-so-subtle pressure to buy and decorate … again? As with most of our annual worldwide holidays, this one sprang from a true Christian story. You can easily Google the man […]
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Her name is Mary. She’s mom to three little ones, married ten years. Last October we had a brief conversation in a room filled with the happy chatter of women who hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Mary happily left her husband and father in charge while she and her mom had an […]
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Seems I’m always organizing … sorting … making sense out of chaos. I think it a biblical activity. Especially in the early weeks of a new year, I re-order the pieces of my world … office, laundry room, a closet. Organizing helps me know where everything is … mostly … even if it’s in piles. […]
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