“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life…And we are writing these things to you so that our joy may be full.” 1 John 1:1,4 The Apostle...

“Please be patient. God isn’t finished with me yet.” These words were engraved on a plaque that sat on the desk of my fifth grade science teacher, Mrs. Zwemke. During many a lecture about the layers of the earth or the four food groups, my mind wandered as I pondered...

Almost eighty-five years ago on a cold November day in south Ukraine, a baby boy was born to a twenty-one year old woman. Five months earlier, her husband, who had refused to fight in the Communist army, had been taken by train to Siberia. Her newborn child would...

Competitiveness is a form of selfishness. True? This is something my husband and I like to debate. We both love to watch and play sports. He argues that competition is a good thing that drives a person to be their very best. But I see a negative side. Sometimes I get...

What would it be like if we truly viewed ourselves the way God views us? I wondered this as I read the story of Gideon this past week. “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!” an angel says to Gideon in Judges 6:12. The ironic thing is that at the time, Gideon is in...

There are a lot of difficult things we are faced with in life, but I think one of the toughest is waiting. There are several situations right now where I find myself having to patiently (or not so patiently) wait for the outcome of something, and to be honest, it is a...

The Fourth of July is around the corner, and whether you love the fireworks lighting up the sky or you can’t stand all the noise, it’s a day to take a holiday and celebrate the founding of our country. When we think of holidays we usually think of a day off work,...

The tennis match had come down to one point.  This never happens in tennis! But our indoor USTA matches were timed, and at two hours, you stop no matter what. Each of us had won a set, and we were tied in the tie-breaker. Now the whole doubles match would be...

Can you imagine sleeping at night with your head resting on a stone or a block of wood? Believe it or not, those were pillows of ancient times! The Chinese had their own version of pillows–headrests made of porcelain that were even designed to be works of art. It...

“I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me!  When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. I think of God, and I moan, overwhelmed with longing...