Racing Toward the Finish Line
"And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1b Runners in skintight leggings and neon shoes pranced before the starting line like racehorses at the gate. Two men in their early twenties chatted while stretching. An
Why We Are Here
Seventy-eight years ago, the great grandmother—a slip of a girl in a dark cape dress—floated on her back in the middle of a wide green lake to keep from drowning, and that is why we are here. Sixty-seven years ago, her
The Night We Almost Hit a Semi
It was after midnight when my husband asked, “Can you see that?” Lifting my gaze from the laptop screen, I peered through the windshield and saw a huge black rectangle lying across the interstate that was nearly indistinguishable from the darkness. I
My Child’s Grief Gave Me Permission to Feel
My six-year-old daughter wouldn’t touch the food on her plate. I asked what was wrong, but she shook her head. After clearing the table, I asked her to follow me back to our bedroom. Kindergarten can really wear her out, and
The Ice Storm
One month ago, a colossal ice storm swept through the southern states, snapping branches that, in turn, snapped powerlines and exploded transformers, knocking millions of people off the grid and forcing them to live as they’d reverted to the nineteenth
“That’s My Daughter” – Knowing Our Identity Lies In Love
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13 It takes a lot to offend me, but it doesn’t take a lot to make me defensive of the ones I
Goodness and Mercy Shall Pursue Me
"Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever." ~ Psalm 23:6 On Friday, my best friend and I took a walk around Vanderbilt
Follow the Light
My girls and I had spent most of the day cooped up in the house. Attitudes were fraying around the edges—including mine. Then I had an epiphany: a pajama hike! I told the girls to put on their pajamas, since it
God in the Dark
The setting sun poured down the seams of the mountains as I drove the same route I had taken for four years in college. But this time was different. My six-year-old daughter now sat in the back, and she was
Peace Like an Ocean
My husband got sun-poisoned at the beach, but I didn’t know it until the next morning when he helped me cart our three girls and various and sundry items back across the blinding white sand. His head throbbed so badly,