Rockwall, TX (March 5, 2025) – A certain Sunday delivered a perfect spring morning to central Kansas. A young man stood on his porch and noticed the swollen buds on an elm tree. His wife, meanwhile, peered into her bedroom closet. Pregnant with their first child, she easily chose one of the few dresses she […]
Rockwall, TX (February 6, 2025) – Love is “a many-splendored thing,” according to an old book/song/movie title. Those who have fallen in love will agree. But there is one facet of love that makes a person ill: lovesickness. This could be due to distance, or a break-up, or else that northern exposure side of love […]
Adobe stock library Rockwall, TX (November 29, 2024) – An old monk’s dying testimony surely surprised those who revered him for his great humility and service to all those around him. The Elder Zosima revealed his past sins of jealousy, anger, and hatred that nearly led to murder. Though he had grown up inspired by […]
Rockwall, TX (October 23, 2024) – The dark and musty garage laundry room with one small window that allowed a bit of moonlight provided a perfect atmosphere for our small group of neighborhood kids to meet. We sat in a circle as the older ones told ghost stories that made us shiver with excitement or […]
Rockwall, TX (September 25, 2024) – Sunday worship at my church begins with contemporary songs followed by several hymns. I don’t recall the song titles of a certain service last summer, but I’ll never forget the voice I heard singing—my own. “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed,” says Jeremiah 17:14.* Just days […]
Rockwall, TX (August 14, 2024) – My husband and I have competing interests when it comes to long-distance drives. In his destination-driven perspective, the goal is to arrive as soon as possible. My own travel preference is to slow down and explore—stop and smell the roses, or the barbecue. When it comes to life in […]
Rockwall, TX (June 28, 2024) – No disease was needed to shut down April-May classes and commencement ceremonies this year. It appears that illnesses of the emotional type are equally contagious. Those staples of modern American culture—offense and outrage—so easily feed these epidemics. It’s no surprise that college students have the vigor needed to sustain […]
Rockwall, TX (January 9, 2024) – “Na-na-na-na boo-boo. I’ll be with Jesus before you.” My mother-in-law sang that little ditty to me in our final phone conversation. She had just accepted hospice care, and, knowing I was crying, she tried to make me laugh. Marion, who I always called Mom, made me laugh for most […]
ROCKWALL, TX (Nov. 19, 2023) From Thanksgiving to Christmas can seem like one long holiday, which for some folks isn’t long enough. In the eyes of a child, the passing months of the calendar all lead to the 25th of December. With childlike anticipation, I recently began counting down the days to a long-hoped-for event: my […]
ROCKWALL, TX (Oct. 25, 2023) A brave thirty-four-year-old left his native Scotland in 1858 and traveled four and a half months with his young bride to their chosen destination in the South Pacific. Though thankful to finally arrive at their intended island, relief soon gave way to horror and dismay. The local inhabitants were naked […]