On Being Specific: in our plans, details, and prayers
“What specific species is that?” our neighbor asked about a tree with a branch of leaves turning reddish yellow. We were eating a 4th of July Eve dinner—grilled brats, Keith's baked beans, potato salad, slaw, and garden cucumbers—on the dining deck. “I’m not sure,”...
It’s the same, and it’s different—all at the same time
Edie Melson’s Soul Care When the Nest is Empty, which releases July 9th, is written in the same format as the others in her Soul Care series but of course, the topic is different. I have the honor of serving on her book launch team, as I did with her previous...
Choice: making a decision when faced with possibilities.
“You can buy the property or not, your choice,” my daughter Jessica said to Abigail, her 7-year-old daughter. We three were playing the kids’ version of Monopoly. Abigail, who always went first—youngest to oldest—had landed on the Ice Cream Shop. Abigail counted...
Variations on the theme of cover: reveal, conceal, and protection
“I love the cover of your book,” said a woman who stopped by our booth at the local Farmers Market on Saturday morning. She picked up my book then glanced at Keith’s. “I love both books,” she said. The word “cover” can mean to protect or conceal. Covers do protect...
The things we can reverse, and the blessings we cannot
I stared at the buckeye trees and wondered, “Can I reverse the leaf damage?” The yellowing and brown-spotted tree leaves looked like they were suffering from too much sun or heat or too little water. There wasn’t anything I could do about the sun, so I watered. But...
Through His creation, through our trials, and through His Son
Through—moving or expressing movement in one side and out the other, continuing toward completion or a final destination, running the whole length of a building—depending on whether through is a preposition, adverb, or adjective. For me in faith, it’s about the...