If you haven’t been to Africa and are physically able to go, you should. It will change your life for better and worse. Meeting souls housed in bodies marked by suffering who have so few resources but give more than any proportion you ever have will make you feel worse about yourself than you ever have in your entire life. … Read More
People Just Don’t Get It. But Immanuel Does.
Ever have one of those flustered days, weeks, months, years, or even what seems to be a life time of harried moments strung together by frayed nerves? Maybe it’s just me, but when I get in a tizzy, it often feels like no one “gets” why. Sometimes it’s unreasonable to expect people to be sensitive because they have no idea … Read More
A Lesson From Man’s Best Friend: We Wait In Hope
My dog, Oscar, is awesome. He really is the best dog that God ever created. Really. He is. In fact, sometimes, I have a suspicion that he’s part human. Just kidding. (Sort of). He’s just so full of personality. You’d really have to know him in order to believe me as to how wonderful he is. But, I have to … Read More
Deer, Me, & Oscar: Where are You, God?!
My dog, Oscar, and I were walking at a local trail way last year. Before we knew it, three deer ran right across our path just a few feet away from us. We both saw them. The smiles on our faces grew as our breath was taken away. And just as quickly as they appeared, they vanished. I looked down … Read More
10 Years: Why You Need Hope.
Ten years is the distance between my Daddy’s final breath on earth and first breath in Heaven. Ten Years. Today marks the end of those ten years and the beginning of the eleventh. I was 19 when he died of cancer. He turned 50 in the middle of his battle. He wasn’t just my father, he was my Daddy. He … Read More
Running After The Pioneer
This past Saturday was unlike most of our Saturdays. Usually, we sleep in, devoid of alarm clocks, to catch up on long days and nights of work. But this day was different. The Virginia Ten Miler was to take place right outside our window. I must admit that last year all three of us (the dog included) slept through the … Read More
The Power Known by Oaks (Or How to Deal with the News)
I don’t know about you, but my heart has been so heavy the last several weeks. I’ve had trouble sleeping at night just trying to process all the pain and problems that have been at the forefront of the newscasts. The crisis in Syria. Manslaughter caused by a drunk driver. The Navy Yard shootings. All of these have directly impacted … Read More
Choose Your Own Ending (or Beginning) Stories
The other night we were eating ice cream with David’s sister and her family. It had been a few weeks since we’d all gotten to hang out, so we were catching up on what had been going on lately. Pete, our brother-in-law, recounted something our 5 year old nephew, Stephen, said before he went to bed one night recently… “Daddy, … Read More
Roots That Produce Fruits
I was at my sister’s house the other day and noticed a framed picture with a Bible verse underneath it. I can’t seem to get this passage of Scripture out of my mind lately. “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as … Read More
Under The Same Roof Again
Sitting on the front porch of my family’s homestead in Western North Carolina is the perfect spot to reflect upon the past year. Exactly one year ago today, my husband, dog, and I were packed like sardines in a Penske truck headed from Nashville to Lynchburg, Virginia. The trip normally would take 8.5 hours but with a bogged down horseless … Read More