I often wish I were better at having a servant heart. I’ve decided the two qualities to prompt that are being more observant and then being bold to act. For example, recently I was driving by myself in the neighborhood and saw an older woman (younger than I am!) walking along the unpopulated part of … [Read more…]
You may have noticed that stores everywhere—department, grocery, gift, right down to Dollar Tree—seem to have skipped Thanksgiving. The displays and decorations went right from Halloween to Christmas. In a way, that’s deplorable. After all, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year! I love the special food and getting together with family and friends … [Read more…]
When I was twelve, our rural Tennessee church had a “gospel meeting”–seven days of church, afternoons and evenings. The preacher that year was Bill Long, probably in his twenties at the time. I was convicted that I wanted to be a Christian and be baptized, and my parents, who’d put me off earlier, agreed. The … [Read more…]
Appreciation! This is the season for it, isn’t it? My children always had a month to get their thank-you notes out, so there’s still time for me this year. But from a grandmother’s perspective, it’s fun to see the different grandchildren’s immediate responses to their gifts. The age ten granddaughter responded with squeals of delight … [Read more…]
Yesterday my friend Connie had a mastectomy—not a welcome Christmas experience! But last week she wrote this, and I am eager to share it with you. She and her husband Harry were missionaries in Panama for twelve years but have been back in the States longer than that. Connie and I are in the same … [Read more…]
Thanksgiving time has always been very traditional for our family. Since we lived in a different state from either family of origin, we alternated between Thanksgiving with my family in Tennessee and Steve’s family in Indiana. Mother loved feeding guests, and the less likely they were to pay her back, the better. She took seriously … [Read more…]
I’ve known very well many couples who have been married to each other for over 50 years and many couples who are very sweet to each other; those two characteristics do not always go together. As one of my own relatives said, “What’s to celebrate about being married to him for 50 years?” The culture … [Read more…]
“It’s about time!” Have you ever said this to someone who had done something good? I’ve been guilty myself of saying it. What a negative remark about something positive! It occurs to me that if we said, “That’s terrific! I’m so glad you did that” each time we want to say, “It’s about time!” our … [Read more…]
