American flag in the grass
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue

Memorial Day is traditionally known as the unofficial start of summer, but I prefer to bestow that honor on the 4th of July. The days after Memorial Day are focused on finishing up the school year and on graduations, so summer fun is still but a vision in the future.   As the month of June […]

Photo by T.J. Breshears on Unsplash

Missing Pieces

1 Corinthians 14:33 “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace…” (NIV) Puzzle-making involves turning disorder into order…much as the verse from 1 Corinthians tells us God does. It can be a frustrating process but the end result is worth the effort. I am a puzzle lover who enjoys working on Sudoku […]

Female senior friends consloing and supporting sad friend indoors at home.
Female senior friends consloing and supporting sad friend indoors at home.

Helping Her Cry

A story is told of a young girl who arrived home from a visit with a friend. Her mother had expected her earlier, and when questioned why she was late, the young girl replied: “My friend’s doll was broken.” Her mother asked if she had helped her friend fix it. “No,” she said, “I helped […]

People looking at the moon
People looking at the moon

Lessons From The Moon

Summer has arrived. The sun shines bright and the days are longer. I grew up in Arizona and came to appreciate the onset of dusk when the evening darkness cooled the heat of the day. At that time of day,  the sun hangs low in the sky and the moon peeks up to chase it […]

Vibrant Sunrise
Vibrant Sunrise

New Morning Mercies

4:30am and I am wide awake. The skies are still dark and the air is chilly. Quiet surrounds me as the neighborhood as yet to awaken. I wrap a shawl around my shoulders, hold a hot cup of coffee and relish these peaceful moments before the world intrudes into my solace. In the book of […]

Reflections
Reflections

Mirror mirror on the Wall

“Mirror, mirror on the wall…who’s the fairest one of all?” I suspect we are all familiar with these words from the movie “Snow White.” The evil queen asked this same question of the magic mirror every morning. She obsessed over being the most beautiful woman in the land and threw a fit of rage if […]

Unleavened bread, chalice of wine, silver kiddush wine cup on canva background. Communion still life
Unleavened bread, chalice of wine, silver kiddush wine cup on canva background. Communion still life

“As I have loved you”

John 13:34 (NIV) “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Christians around the world gather today to observe Maundy Thursday. The Latin word ‘mandatum’ loosely translates to our word command and from this word we derive ‘Maundy.’ I thought it was odd, […]

The Resurrection and the Life

John 11:25  New International Version (NIV) “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;” In the season of Spring, it is common to see butterflies flitting about from flower to flower. They are fragile yet beautiful beings. But as I […]

The Vine

John 15:5 New International Version (NIV) “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”   With these words, Jesus claims us as His.  In recent years, it has become popular to explore one’s ancestry so […]

The Way, the Truth and the Life

John 14:6 (The Living Bible) “Jesus told him, ‘I am the Way—yes, and the Truth and the Life. No one can get to the Father except by means of me.’ “ With His words “I am the way, the truth and the life,” Jesus shares the reality of the way to salvation.  By following Him, […]