Oh the sweet lessons of God! There are moments that stagger. I am undone at how our precious Jesus continually displays His inestimable character and wondrous heartbeat for His children. There is a crucial difference in living and serving if a dream does not become reality and laughing at the thought of God providing aContinue reading "Laughing at God!"

“Do you think I’m pretty?I think you’re beautiful.Beautiful?You are so beautiful, it hurts sometimes.” - Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy “You are altogether beautiful, my darling, and there is no blemish in you! - Song of Solomon 4:7 I won’t walk the road of circumstance that led me to feel ugly. That stretch of highway is a bitContinue reading "Hello, My Name Is: Beautiful!"

“The snow reminded me of the beauty and mystery of creation of the essential joy that is life.” – Orhan PamukAs a child the snow enchanted. I was fascinated how this frozen precipitation so easily changed everything it touched. I was always saddened when the smooth layers of glistening white were muddied by footsteps orContinue reading "snow"

“It’s like the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness & danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end…because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end,Continue reading "Not All Who Wander Are Lost…"

  “If I were called upon to state in a few words the essence of everything I was trying to say both as a novelist and as a preacher, it would be something like this: Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom & pain of itContinue reading "For the WONDER…"

I know that I have life only insofar as I have love.   I have no love except it come from Thee.   Help me, please, to carry this candle against the wind.  -      Wendell Berry, “I”, Leavings P. 33 Anna pulled the minivan into the gravel drive that ran along the back of the house.Continue reading "Anna’s Candles: Coming Home!"

“You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done.” – Psalm 92:4Anna took in an excited breath as Papa placed the warm wriggling pup with a bright red bow wrapped around its neck into her open arms. She wrapped her arms warm around,Continue reading "Anna’s Candles: Let there be JOY!"

 Potato peels sat in the sink. A big silver pot brimming with water and already sliced potatoes bubbled on the stove. The earthly starches filled the kitchen with warming comfort. SCReeeeetch! BAM! Thud…thud…thud…SCReeeetch! BAM! Thud…thud…thud…Mama stilled her hand, the blade of the knife she held barely sinking underneath the brown skin of another potato. “WhatContinue reading "Anna’s Candles: Love Warms You Through"

 “I want a puppy!”Anna’s bare toes padded soft on the hardwood floor as she came through the dining room proclaiming her desire. Papa, warm in a flannel shirt, was fixing candles amidst a wreath atop the table. His strong arms stilled their effort, turning; he peered at Anna over spectacles he used for reading. “Anna!Continue reading "Anna’s Candles: Hope is like wanting a puppy!"

Lord, Thank you for the grace you cloak us with. It is palpable and brilliant. It causes my knees to tremble – staggered by the sheer weight of it! Lord you are MERCY! You are JUST! You are so BEAUTIFUL! A breathtaking treasure to behold. That I can touch the hem of your garment, beContinue reading "Undone…"