ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX (Jan. 26, 2015) A friend of mine has experienced God’s very present help in trouble. But after seeing so many signs, she might have a problem getting people to believe her. The past few years have been filled with sorrow for Ann’s family. Her husband faced a business calamity that hung over their […]
ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX (Dec. 21, 2014) The Christmas tree of my childhood held 1960’s ornaments—silver orbs with spikes and color-filled depressions. We threw on strips of foil “icicles” and pronounced it good. Maybe that’s why our late-December visits to the grandparents’ house felt like arriving at Disneyland. Grandma loved to decorate at Christmastime. She adorned the […]
ROCKWALL, TX (Dec. 18, 2014) There’s at least one group in Rockwall County that won’t take a break for the Christmas holidays. In fact, this Christian fellowship is offered every Friday night of the year—52 weeks running. “Well, we did cancel for an ice storm once.” Sarah Kelly explained to me that addictions and other […]
ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX (Nov. 24, 2014) It’s time to dust off the turkey platter and polish the silver. But wait…we can use the casual dinnerware. No need for silver spoons. I’m good with laid-back gatherings on Thanksgiving Day. My growing-up years featured holiday dinners laid out in the garage, with tables lined up cafeteria-style to hold […]
ROCKWALL, TX (November 13, 2014) Todd Phillips spent the last day of July watching a country shut down. Government offices and schools closed; stores and marketplaces emptied. The Ebola outbreak had turned parts ofLiberiainto ghost towns—practically overnight. Dr. Phillips, of Rockwall County, is Executive Director of The Last Well, a ministry that provides clean water […]
ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX (October 5, 2014) Reading the book of Jonah for the first time troubled me. Not the miraculous aspect; I easily digested the man-gets-swallowed-by-fish part. But Jonah’s stubborn response to God bothered me. I couldn’t relate to the prophet’s attitude. Until the time I found myself following his example. Our church on the edge […]
ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX (August 25, 2014) Plastic folders, crayons and those timeless tools of learning, pencils and paper, currently fill store shelves to capacity. The sight makes me sentimental for yesteryear, when I had school-age children. Not that I’d like to repeat those years. But the opportunity to influence fresh hearts and minds is as precious […]
ROCKWALL/ HEATH, TX. (June 27, 2014) For several months I walked my dog along the farm road that crosses the creek bordering our neighborhood. Barricades had closed the road to traffic while a road crew worked to replace an old, unsafe bridge with a better one. Without trucks and SUV’s whizzing by, it felt like […]
WYLIE/ROCKWALL, TX (June 25, 2014) Lance Shumake wants to see students involved in missions, and more specifically, to see this generation of students living “on mission.” As President of iGo Global for 14 years, Shumake has overseen high school and college student teams travel to 21 countries to help fulfill Christ’s Great Commission to make […]
ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX (May 11, 2014) A best-selling book shows women—including moms—how to reach their full potential. But not everyone is buying it. Sheryl Sandberg’s call-to-action book, Lean In, provides steps we can take to “combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment.” Sandberg is Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People […]