There once was a man named John. He was born in London, in 1725. His father was the commander of a merchant ship that sailed in the Mediterranean. Little is known about his mother, except that she taught John what he knew about God. She died when John was young. At the age of eleven, John began sailing on long voyages with his father
Read MoreThis morning, after days of heavy rain, the sun appeared. I went for a run through the forest. Sunlight filtered through a thick vapor that was billowing off the mossy tree trunks. The water droplets on the tips of the pine needles and leaves appeared as thousands of tiny glittering diamonds. It was so beautiful, tears came to my eyes
Read MoreI’ve been thinking about the wonderful feedback I received from the reader survey that I offered recently. It was honest, encouraging, and constructive. I appreciate you; dear readers, and I want to say a big, sincere thank you.
Your words, as a summation, were a validation of a single word, that I’ve been pondering and hearing spoken to me from many different sources. The word is story
Read MoreI walked with a group of about fifty children, ages 2-16, through the cobbled village streets of Săvârșin on a summer evening in 1992. We were on our way to the soccer field/cow pasture, to play with the summer camp orphans. It was just after dinner. Tea, dry bread, and an oily “beef” soup (where was the beef?), had not satisfied my hunger, and I hungrily eyed the chickens placidly pecking about in the tidy garden off the side of the path. There must be eggs somewhere in this village, I thought. There sure weren’t any in the camp dining room, nor on the empty shelves of the market. I accepted and ate a sour crabapple, picked off a nearby tree, from six-year-old Nadia.
Read MoreGod’s unfailing faithfulness is the reason I know that I can trust God. He has proven himself countless times through the stories of my life. Maybe it’s because I’m a person who has some control issues, and moving to a new town makes me feel out of control, but when I think about my own stories of God’s faithfulness, the moving stories stand out as times of intense growth and a deepening confidence in the loving God that I serve. It’s when I feel the most out of control that I seem to learn this best: God is in control and he is worthy of trust.
Read MoreThat first real smile from a baby is one of those precious gifts that elicit feelings of pure joy upon the lucky receiver. It’s often followed by the craziest of antics of the silliest sort of baby talk, regardless of how dignified said receiver is under normal circumstances, all in order to get another smile from the baby. And the first laugh? That can send many loving caregivers over the moon with happiness! Of course, a baby’s smile or laugh is adorable, and all but the grumpiest of people can’t help but smile back when they gaze upon a happy baby.
Read MoreIt wasn’t what we wanted. It would only be for a little while-or that was the idea. It ended up being eight years. The plan after college was to move to southern California. Instead, we ended up moving back to Wenatchee, Washington, our hometown.
Read MoreThese last few posts have been about purpose. Our purpose, as God’s creation, is to glorify him. We do that through living in loving relationship with him and with his people, and by placing our whole-hearted trust in God. How that plays out in daily life is unique for each person. As Christians, we're called the body of Christ. As each part of the body serves a different purpose, that’s how we, who love God, are to see ourselves.
Read MoreI want to tell you this story, because I think it illustrates God’s sovereignty, wisdom, and love. It was a time where he showed me that he is with me, that I am never alone. This is one of my more dramatic stories. Most of what I experience in my daily life with God more subtle. Most of His work in my life is behind the scenes, and sadly, I’m sure I miss noticing the majority of it. But this time, he chose to show his love in a way that I couldn’t miss.
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