Kudzu and that other creeping threat

Kudzu and that other creeping threat

ROCKWALL, TX (Oct. 27, 2022) Horror films are not my genre, though, in my youth, I relished the Friday night “Chiller” feature on TV. Old movies like “Dracula,” “Frankenstein,” and “The Wolf Man” were part of my coming-of-age repertoire. One night many full moons ago, all alone in the house, I stayed up late to […]

Patti Richter, On Faith | In Autumn and Beyond: Reasons To Be Glad

Patti Richter, On Faith | In Autumn and Beyond: Reasons To Be Glad

At summer’s end, we might hear someone express the sentiment, “Fall is my favorite season.” Many of us will agree. The abbreviated hours of heat and dialed-down humidity bring us relief. The mosquitoes have mostly perished, and we enjoy more time outside. The kids will do more cartwheels, and we’ll leap along with them—at least […]

Patti Richter, On Faith: God’s Great Big, Wonderful World

Patti Richter, On Faith: God’s Great Big, Wonderful World

ROCKWALL COUNTY, TX (Sept. 26, 2022) Kids returning to school will no doubt learn some amazing things their parents never knew or else have forgotten. Some of us could benefit from studying along with them, suspending part of our daily grind in exchange for a bit of amazement over this big world. History’s appeal increases […]

On Faith: In a Dry and Thirsty Land

On Faith: In a Dry and Thirsty Land

ROCKWALL, TX (Aug. 2, 2022) So, this is drought. Some of us have never really seen one except for scenes in the world news and photos published by relief organizations. The drought, along with a heat wave (minus the breeze that usually comes with a wave) has been life-threatening, especially to livestock and poor creatures […]

Patti Richter, On Faith: Righting a Ship or a Nation

Patti Richter, On Faith: Righting a Ship or a Nation

ROCKWALL, TX (June 28, 2022) – Twenty years ago, the USS Spiegel Grove went down near Key Largo, Florida. But the locals happily observe the anniversary since the sinking was intentional. The state had received title to the retired Navy ship hoping it could become a haven for marine life. The sunken ship, just six […]

Patti Richter, On Faith: Good reasons to honor our parents

Patti Richter, On Faith: Good reasons to honor our parents

ROCKWALL, TX (May 5, 2022) The events of births decreased while the numbers of deaths climbed during our pandemic years. And many of us attended more funerals than weddings. Yet we have none other than King Solomon to tell us, “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the […]

The Bronze Pole and the Greater Cure

The Bronze Pole and the Greater Cure

ROCKWALL, TX – April 15, 2022 — A woman who approached our dinner table shocked our small church group. Someone asked her, “How much weight did you lose?” “Fifty pounds,” the woman replied with no enthusiasm. This poor soul had suffered the harsh effects of a deadly superbug. Her cure was harsh as well: high-power […]

Patti Richter, On Faith | When Love and Faith Converge: The Ride

Patti Richter, On Faith | When Love and Faith Converge: The Ride

Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires — Song of Songs 2:7 (NIV) ROCKWALL, TX – February 3, 2022 — My second semester of college began with bleak winter days in the Ozark Mountains. I was only a few hours from home by road but more than a few degrees colder by […]

Patti Richter, On Faith | In Doubt or Disappointment: Trusting the Gift-Giver

Patti Richter, On Faith | In Doubt or Disappointment: Trusting the Gift-Giver

ROCKWALL, TX (Dec. 15, 2021) The girls’ faces fell an inch apiece after opening their mutual birthday present. Our small audience of parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles had expected a more enthusiastic response. While the eight-year-old dutifully recovered in time to produce a polite smile and a “thank you,” her six-year-old sister summoned the courage […]

Patti Richter, On Faith: Like Thanksgiving without the Turkey

Patti Richter, On Faith: Like Thanksgiving without the Turkey

ROCKWALL, TX (Nov. 15, 2021) Some memories stand out within the annals of holidays past—for better or worse reasons. I recall my first Thanksgiving holiday away from home due to threatening weather. My college friend and housemate, Rhonda, could not drive the distance to join her family either, so we hatched a plan for our […]