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God wants your heart. His desire for an intimate relationship with you is a bit like my daughter’s yearning for dolls. You see, when my daughter was little, her heart yearned for Polly Pocket dolls. I knew this because whenever she had saved enough allowance…
My third-grade year started out rather ominously. One day our teacher wasn’t at the front of the classroom. Our eight-year-old brains didn’t grasp exactly what a cancer diagnosis meant, but we did understand that Mrs. Harris wasn’t coming back. We continued learning cursive writing and…
The intersection of a biblical story and the some unruly weeds taught me a lesson about contentment. The weeds in my garden are staging a coup. They are threatening to take over the flowers that are trying to bloom. I need to spend a little…
When my kids were little, I grabbed any opportunity to be alone. I loved being a mom, but sometimes I simply needed to be me—without a toddler hanging on my leg. One day when both kids were glued to the TV watching Sesame Street, I…
“Should we watch another?’ my sister asked. When I spent a weekend with my sister in her Tucson home, we passed some time on her new reclining sofa in front of the TV. Although we walked at a botanical garden and hiked in a national…
I’m over at the incourage site this week. Read about my trip to Israel last year and discover a new practice to help you focus on God’s love for you! We slipped past ancient olive trees, their grey-green leaves beckoning us closer. The stillness enveloped…
Ruins everywhere. As I walk the site of an ancient city in Israel, I sigh at the sight of destruction. I see nothing left but stacks of well-worn stone. Tumbled-down walls of rock. Debris from past lives. Remnants of greatness. These disintegrating leftovers of a…
We all grow attached to beloved items, habitual routines, or jobs and positions that seem to give life meaning. But the following story may illustrate how our attachments are mere illusions and how the spiritual discipline of detachment can help us grow closer to our…
Part of my husband’s job as a pastor is to visit people who can no longer leave their homes or retirement facilities to attend church. He meets many amazing people of the “greatest generation.” One couple he met was especially memorable. Their love for each…