The violins, piano and voices of the choir gave a beautiful rendition of an old German carol. I was swept away from the news reports and troubles in our community. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Here are the lyrics to this carol, Lo How A Rose:…
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The Family is Under Attack
The school board in my town met, and the community was invited. The federal government—specifically the Office of Civil Rights— has demanded that a transgender student be given full access to female locker rooms and restrooms. The meeting place, a high school cafeteria, was packed. Seats extended to…
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A Flower that Survives the Snowstorms
It is December in Illinois, and throughout our neighborhood there are winter decorations. We have a wreath on our door. My display of angels celebrating the birth of Jesus is in our foyer. We have had two snowstorms and to my surprise the calendula flower has two buds. It may…
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Christmas Cards for the Persecuted Church
Do the images of refugees fleeing Syria tug at your heart? Have you seen news reports of churches destroyed in Nigeria, Syria, Iraq and other countries? We are blessed in the United States although the tragedies taking place around the world touch us too. The shootings at the Planned…
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Did Mary Have a Midwife?
As I sat down to write our annual Christmas letter I was reflecting on gospel accounts by Matthew and Luke. It is apparent that the people of Judea lived in fearful times under Roman rule. Injustice, corruption and violence were common. A young woman lived in Nazareth, north of Judea,…
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First Snowfall
Friday night we had our first snowfall and by Saturday evening up to a foot of snow had fallen in some areas. We had a family event, celebrating our son-in-law’s 50th birthday. The roads were open but snow packed and icy in places. The scene was…
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Thanksgiving and Ancient Questions
As Thanksgiving approaches, I am aware of so many things to be thankful for—family, church, blogging community and home. On Thanksgiving my husband and I will have one of our daughters and her family, our son and his wife, at our home. I have ideas for activities for…
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Passion of The Suffragettes: What About Today?
We went to see The Suffragettes. It was tough to watch the daily life of women who worked long hours in a laundry. The setting in this movie was the early 1900s in London. The main character was gradually drawn into the suffragette movement and became willing to fight for…
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Promise of Spring as Winter Approaches
The mild fall that we have had has allowed me to spend more time in the yard. I have been planting and transplanting and raking leaves. My husband was working also, creating piles of branches. He has a chain saw and after he took down one tree he found lots…
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Should the Flu Shot Be Mandated?
Everywhere I go I see signs for the flu vaccine—at grocery stores, drugstores and in advertisements. Many hospitals are making it mandatory for their staff to get an annual flu shot. When that occurred at my hospital, I applied for a religious exemption. I had received vaccines…