Cars and trucks zoomed past and I felt quite alone. I was waiting in my car, on the shoulder of the road. My right front tire was very flat. When I called Triple A road service, a recorded voice told me that I was being sent a text message. The…
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Holy Week: Joy and Pain
Last week we were in Kansas. The sky was blue with some puffy white clouds and trees were beginning to unfurl their leaves. Blossoms were opening. This morning (back home) I woke up to the ground covered in snow and snowflakes still falling. The joy of spring. The return of winter.…
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Finding Respite in Scripture
Recently two friends have raised political issues in the e-mails we exchange. One friend wanted me to read a book about the divisions between Christians caused by their political views, berating conservatives. The other friend wanted me to view the documentary about Christian Nationalism. There is so much happening in…
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Across the Ocean
When my grandmother was nineteen years old, she came across the ocean by boat. She made her way to Upper Michigan by train. Two of her brothers had settled there. She left behind her mother, father, sisters and brothers whom she never saw again. She didn’t forget them. She wrote…
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What Do the Signs Say?
Today men and women, teens and children will be marching in Washington D.C. It doesn’t matter that it is very cold with the prospect of more snow. Today is the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. The marchers will be carrying signs. What do the signs say? LET THEIR…
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Eternal Perspective
Tragic events happen. Yesterday I went to the funeral for a young man, just 31 years old. There were unanswered questions about his death, but the service provided a message of hope. Thirty-four years ago, my son passed away after a two year battle with leukemia. The pain of his…
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Realizing Truth: Mary Magdalene
During the past couple weeks I was going through my book shelves and found a book that I had picked up at a resale shop. The Galileans: A Novel of Mary Magdalene was written by Dr. Frank Slaughter and published in 1953. But I never read it. It was time…
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Joy Beyond Grief
Many years ago, I received a small blue book in the mail. On the cover page is a little note. In memory of Steven. A Lamaze instructor, a colleague of mine, sent the book after my son passed away. The title of the book is Heaven, and it was written by…
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Finding Joy in Daily Life
The snow outside is bright white and glistening. The thermometer reads 0 degrees Fahrenheit, and yet I am able to take a hot shower in a warm house. It is a blessing! Everyday there are little and significant blessings in our lives when we pause to take notice. I am…
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Who Is Listening for the Promise?
One of the Christmas cards I received had a drawing of Mary and Elizabeth. According to the book of Luke, Elizabeth was the first to learn of Mary’s pregnancy after the angel had appeared to Mary. She believed God’s plan. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby…