Recently my husband, Dennis, went on a hunting trip with our son, and I decided to make the days alone ones of rest and refreshment with activities that were fun and gave me joy. In my Bible study lessons this fall we’ve talked about how the source of joy is found in relationship with […]
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One of the great privileges of my life has been visiting multiple orphanages in Russia, China, and South Africa. Taking our children to third world countries to interact with Christians and ministries was life changing. In 2006 we traveled with our daughter Rebecca and her husband of one year, Jake, to South Africa. One […]
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“I have called you by name you are Mine!” (Isaiah 43:1) My husband is an expert story-teller and always had wonderfully creative ways to engage with our kids, to get to their hearts. I just wanted them to obey and pick up their clothes! We were a very good balance for each other in […]
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My newborn granddaughter loves being swaddled snugly. Wound correctly, a swaddle blanket will cocoon Emma Cate’s newborn form tightly into the familiar shape of the womb, her first home. She knows the feel of that place. She trusts it … she calms … she sleeps. Birth is a launch from home into a new […]
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Watching differences turn into divisions in our country over recent years has made me anxious. I wish I had an on-off switch for this constant malaise, this undertow, but alas I only have a dimmer. I know enough of my Bible to know anxiety is not what God desires. Jesus taught in the Sermon […]
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Early in our marriage, Dennis and I discovered we had very different views on the value of work. Then we had children … and the conversation widened to include questions like, “How do we balance play time and teaching time? How much can we expect of our toddlers, our preschoolers?” Do you know what values […]
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One ordinary morning I dropped my teens off at school, then headed home to tackle the laundry pile and breakfast dishes. My normalcy was abruptly interrupted when my phone rang at 8:30. Our friend Bob Lepine called to suggest I turn on the television. A plane had just flown into one of the twin towers […]
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Dear Barbara: I’m struggling right now. I really feel God asking me to do something that sounds too hard. Honestly, I don’t want to obey. Why would He do that? How can I negotiate? Dear Friend, It’s scary isn’t it? I’ve wondered the same. I remember when, after an exhausting week wrangling five […]
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Corrie felt more grown up sitting next to her father on the train into the city. As she watched farms and fields fly by out the window she decided to ask her papa a question. After rehearsing the words this way and that, she bravely turned her face toward him and asked, “What is sex?” […]
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As August ushers in the fall of 2020, I am amazed at how much our lives have changed, and how differently we think about our daily activities. For the most part, Dennis and I are still staying at home. No dinners at restaurants. No movies. No weekend soccer tournaments. No trips other than visiting […]
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