Late one November, we decided to take the kids to a Christmas tree farm to chop down our own tree. It seemed like a festive idea. What could possibly go wrong? All we had to do was choose our tree, chop it down, load it in the truck, pay the vendor and take it home. … [Read more…]

It’s been over ten years but I remember Christmas Eve 2008 like it was yesterday. My husband and I were still reeling from the coup d’état we’d experienced several weeks earlier at our church where he’d pastored for 7 years. Instead of ringing handbells, listening to my husband preach and our daughter sing, we were … [Read more…]

click here for Pastors’ Hope Network 2008: The story begins in November of 2008 when my husband experienced a coup d’etat that resulted in his termination. We had been at the church 7 years. To say we were devastated is putting it mildly. All of our plans for the future, everything we thought the future … [Read more…]

What word comes to mind when you see this bottle of hand soap? Empty? Trash? Useless? Believe it or not, this bottle of hand soap is still in use. Each time I press the pump, the seemingly empty pump dispenses soap. And since it’s one of my favorites, I don’t want to waste a single … [Read more…]

If you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is giving you to live in that troublemakers have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods you have not known), then you must inquire, probe and investigate … [Read more…]

When I was a freshman in college, my Introductory Biology class was taught by a group of instructors who did very little to encourage student engagement. They certainly did not create a climate conducive to asking questions. We’d show up for class, take notes, read the textbook and complete the lab assignments. But interacting with … [Read more…]

My husband has a special fondness for nativities and when we married, his mother gave us the nativity he’d grown up loving. It already had some wear and tear on it and if the animals could talk, I’m sure they would have some stories to tell me about my husband’s childhood Christmases. Over the years, … [Read more…]

Occasionally—not as often as I’d like but far more than I deserve—God speaks to my heart in an immediate, unmistakable way. There’s no time to think about it. There’s no time to wonder whether or not the thought or impression was from God. The moment is so clear that there’s no doubt it was God … [Read more…]

One of my favorite Broadway shows is 42nd Street. The musical features classic songs such as “We’re in the Money,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” and, my favorite, “I Only Have Eyes for You.” And then, of course, there’s the spectacular title number—a dance performed on a staircase spanning the width of the stage. In one production … [Read more…]

Recently, I came across a poem by J. Danson Smith that spoke to my heart. I pray it speaks to yours as well. Waiting! Yes, patiently waiting! Till next steps made plain shall be; To hear, with the inner hearing, The Voice that will call for me. Waiting! Yes, hopefully waiting! With hope that need … [Read more…]