Praising God in trial and tribulation is difficult, even for the grateful heart. Pain has a way of putting itself in the way of counting one’s blessings and remembering God’s former works. Yet it’s praise that raises us—spirit, soul, and body, above the fray, as the door opens for God ...

Remember the stories of how our parents or grandparents trudged through snow drifts, or thunderstorms, or beating sun,  uphill, to get to school each morning?  In some ways, attending school today is much easier that in times past. Many schools today are air-conditioned, dress codes tend to be less restrictive,  ...

When our father passed away, my sister and I went to choose a monument to be placed in our family plot. When the drawing was put in front of us, we knew that Dad had begun the designing of his own gravestone long before his death as our eyes fell ...

Before a closet full of clothing and a floor filled with shoes were the norm, before makeup and grooming supplies were here in abundance, the outward appearance mattered. When Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, Patsy, was a small child in the late 1700’s, he took care to teach her to value her ...

Cleaning a home was quite a task in the old days. Women once used a wringer washer to clean their family’s clothes, spending much time wringing the clothes out through the wringer rolls at the top of the machine.  Wet clothes were hung on a backyard line when weather allowed, ...

It was a bullet from the gun of a brilliant, romantic actor that took the life of President Abraham Lincoln when he was just 56 years old. With the future of his country once again looking hopeful after the long Civil War, the president and his wife were enjoying an ...

Darryl’s Bakery made the most wonderful donuts and cakes. I remember going into the little shop, holding my mother’s hand as the bell above the hundred-year-old door rang, announcing our arrival.  Every birthday, Mom would purchase a delicious white cake with little clowns on top, wearing their red and blue ...

1 Peter 2:17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. As the movement about “black lives matter” spreads in the US, how do we see humans in their right “color”? As I pray to God, I remember a powerful exhibition about human diversity I saw in ...

“May your ‘five finger lesson’ be valuable to you throughout your school day and when you go home.”                                                                  ...

Storms can often appear in the midst of a Storm. You’re feeling a certain way, and it seems like one problem leads to another. On top of your storm you are dealing with other issues going on in this world. In your storm you are crying out “Why Me Lord?” ...