The whole world is on a sickbed right now.  I’m praying for a healing, but not a return to life as usual.  In many ways I am not desiring my old normal…and not just because as an introvert I have more time to myself.  There is a lot that I miss about my former life.  I miss the kisses of my grandchi...

On a summer morning walk, I noticed a praying mantis clinging to the underside of a car tire, drawn there by the lure of shade, in the already rising temperatures of a hot, California day.  “What a strange place to rest,” I thought.  A precarious place—at any moment that car could start up, and the ...

I have a confession to make.  Since the coronavirus lock-down in March, I have become addicted to the televised news.  It didn’t happen all at once.  As with all addictions it started gradually and over the months it grew and grew.  I became absorbed with the daily rising counts of the infected and ...

As a college theatre major, I had to do quite a bit of auditioning:  cold readings, prepared monologues, call-backs when there were other actresses in the running for the same role.  And there was that one exhilarating, excruciating moment when all the auditioning was over, and we waited for the cas...

This year Halloween sure looked different.  In a normal year in our neighborhood, the whole block is barricaded for a Mardi Gras-like costume extravaganza.  This year it was silent…barely a handful of trick-or-treaters.  I filled my Little Free Library full of mysteries and spooky picture books for ...

“You call me out upon the waters,
     The great unknown where feet may fail
     And there I find you in the mystery…” 
           from “Oceans” by Joel Houston, Matt Crocker and 
                                      Salomon Lighthelm of Hillsong UNITED

The practice of “The God Hunt” has changed my l...

Last week I gave you an example of one of the ways to use the God Hunt in noting and thanking God for any obviously answered prayer.  But let me give you some recent examples of the other ways.

How about any unexpected evidence of his care?  In February at a women’s church retreat, we were put in s...

How do we develop emotional and spiritual RESILIENCE, particularly in chaotic times such as these? Psychologists say that, like building muscle, it takes intentionality and practice.  They describe four core components:  building connections, fostering wellness, finding purpose, and embracing health...

God has been impressing a word on my heart since the pandemic began, and that word is RESILIENCE.  What is RESILIENCE?  What is necessary for RESILIENCE?  And how do we develop true spiritual RESILIENCE?

First a definition:  RESILIENCE is the capacity to recover from life’s difficulties.  Psycholog...

In 1997, Dave and I were a year into building a youth ministry at our former church, for kids our son’s age.  As part of our program we wanted to surround them with a community of adults and parents and use some physical challenges to echo the spiritual challenges that they would face as they came i...