Life with God
Brett and I are sitting at the gate in the Albany airport - a full hour before the flight boards. Plenty of time for my mind to conjure up all that can go dreadfully wrong in this short flight to Chicago. I hate short flights. And I especially hate small planes which gyrate with the... Continue Reading →
The banker slid the document across his desk and handed me a pen. "Sign and date on this line." I took the pen and signed my first name, Barclay. Then I began with the first syllable of my last name, Mar. Quite unexpectedly, my mind veered from the signature line to imagining the banker's impatient... Continue Reading →
When I was a teacher, the first week of August brought heart pounding anxiety. I envisioned new initiatives and curriculum, new kids and colleagues, meetings that would entail post-it notes and sharing-out. My anxiety had a voice -- no matter how many classes you take, or books you read, or years under your belt, your... Continue Reading →
August 10, 1986. The sun had broken through the clouds and was shining brightly against a deep blue backdrop. Our wedding ceremony and reception aboard the Free Spirit, cruising through Chicago's Burnham Harbor, had exceeded all my dreams. Brett had been dashing in his white tuxedo, our vows had been heartfelt, and there had been... Continue Reading →
We call her Kacie-Facie. Or simply The Face. I mean, how could you not? Just look at her! Fifteen years ago, on a sunny day in early May, Alex and I drove to a Denny's parking lot, off the highway, midway between the Indiana breeder and our Chicago home. We had done our research. According... Continue Reading →
Corrie Ten Boom's autobiography, The Hiding Place, tells the story of an unlikely heroine -- a 50 something, unmarried watchmaker from Haarlem, Holland, who alongside her sister and father, worked with the Dutch underground during the Nazi occupation, hiding Jews in the secret annex of their home. They were ultimately caught and Corrie and Betsie... Continue Reading →
It was past midnight and the freshman dorm was quiet. I could hear the faint snoring of my roommate in the bunk bed above. I was wide awake. I hadn’t eaten for three days and my stomach was growling. I reached for my wallet on the bedside table and extracted a few singles. There was... Continue Reading →
My mother spent time with individuals nearing the end, their Florida living rooms sporting a hospital bed, a hospice nurse at the ready. She was not shy about presenting the Gospel. And leaving a little blue booklet on bedside tables. A booklet containing her favorite promises from God. Over time mom's booklets were sprinkled throughout... Continue Reading →
All names are pseudonyms. “Praise Him! Praise Him! All you little children; God is love; God is love.” Eight toddlers vigorously shake their jingle bells, shouting things unintelligible, while Dawn and I sing an off-key rendition of this classic Sunday school song. “Shall we do it again?” Dawn asks. Two year old Trevor is trying... Continue Reading →
