• Faith - Family - Grandparents

    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.…

  • Faith - Flowers - Michigan - Nature

    The Beauty Still to Come

    The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse into God’s plans for his people. John’s vision has symbols and metaphors, but all point to God’s finished work. I am in my second year of study in Revelation. In the book of Hebrews, the author writes about the role of priests.…

  • Children - Faith - Family - Prayer

    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…

  • Faith - Family

    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…

  • Faith - Family - Flowers - Grandparents

    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…

  • Faith

    Beginning the Year in the Word

    We have a framed verse from Isaiah on our wall. It is a reminder of the steadfast love of God. Our relationship with God guides us day by day, despite disruptions and chaos in our world. One of the ways that we nurture a relationship with God is through his…

  • Faith - Family

    The Ending is Good

    It has been a number of years since I sat in the Michigan stadium in Ann Arbor, but I still follow the football team of my alma mater. Last Saturday the game was tense. The Wolverines were losing to Illinois when I set the TV to record the remainder of…

  • Faith

    Seven Letters

    The Bible has instruction for individuals, families and churches. God’s desire is for us to flourish and He instructs us in his Word. I have studied the books of the Bible, but I have tended to shy away from an in-depth study of Revelation. There are various and differing theories…

  • Faith - Women

    Words that Shine a Light

    This fall our women’s Bible study will be reading the book of Revelation. The study book we are using is titled Behold, Jesus Is Coming. Revelation is an intense prophetic book. This prophetic book can be intimidating, but the time is right to dig in. The Bible is the story of…