Not Yet, Baby!

I was sitting in my recliner when suddenly I noticed the all-too-familiar odor of a skunk. Our 18-month-old goldendoodle, Sheba, was in the back yard. Even through the walls, the stench was so strong that it burned my throat! We'd just moved to the country seven months previously, into the house that I built, with...

My Daughter Saw Her DAD (who died 17 months before!)

It was Friday, June 11th, 2021 when I received an unexpected call from my 15-year-old daughter. Jaycie had been at Falls Creek church camp all week with our church youth group, and they were expected home the next day. Her tear-filled and yet excited voice told me something significant had happened. "Mom, I saw DAD...

Real Men Cry, Too (A final message from my late husband)

While sorting through things of my beloved late husband, Hank, I stumbled across what appeared to be notes he was writing for a sermon. He had titled it, "Real Men Cry, Too". The haunting words on the paper both inspired me and broke my heart, as my children and I still grieve the loss of...

Turning Staffs to Serpents: The Faith Factor

Last week, days before Easter (when millions of believers and I celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus), I watched the epic 1956 movie, "The Ten Commandments". Although the graphics technology may seem archaic by modern standards, the portrayal of the Biblical account of the liberation of the Hebrew people by Moses always thrills my soul and...

God in the Valley

I was reading in 1st Kings chapter 20 this week, not a passage I usually frequent. (I'm four years into my quest to read the entire Bible in one year, haha!) As a teenager, I vaguely recall hearing a preacher talking about this moment in Israel's saga, but now, forty years later, this historical account...

Knocked Down, but Not Destroyed

Spring is in the air. I'm a bit sleepy from losing an hour of sleep with the time change last night, but excited about the prospect of more daylight in my day. I spent yesterday working in my front yard, doing more manual labor than I have in months. After the ice and snow storms...

Truth Versus Feelings: Who Rules?

Somewhere at this very moment, a man is leaving his wife for another woman. He declares with defeat, “I’m just not in love with you anymore.” He says he feels a connection or chemistry with the mistress. A woman is packing her bags and abandoning her husband and children – to live with the man...

Not What I Planned

If you live on Planet Earth like the rest of us, your New Years Resolutions and best-made plans may seem to be fluttering away in the wind. What were your personal goals and aspirations for the last twelve months? Here's a list of mine...

All My Teeth Fell Out… Then I Saw PINK! Intimidating Season Change.

Okay, before you think I'm crazy, let me explain. I had the weirdest dream a few days ago, but I instantly knew what it meant when I awoke. It hit me so strongly that I even mentioned it to my husband as I fixed my cup of coffee. Often, I realize when I'm dreaming, but...

“Jesus Came to My House” A Three-Year-Old’s Encounter Brought Me to My Knees

Jennifer, a registered nurse, wheeled my husband back in to the recovery room after his second cataract surgery. Even though Hank was groggy and slurring his words a bit, I immediately recognized the story he'd apparently been recounting to her. "Our son, Aaron, had emergency surgery at this very hospital when he was only seven...