I recently had a great conversation with a new friend that I would like to share with you. For the sake of clarity and privacy, I will call this woman June.

June and her husband “Bill” recently moved here. Bill’s birthday was coming up and she wanted to do something special for him since he’d been a little homesick for friends and family. Suddenly, she had the perfect idea.

On the day of Bill’s birthday, June was taking Bill for a drive when they saw someone hitchhiking in the distance. She turned to look at her husband and asked, “Why don’t we give that guy a ride?” Immediately against the idea, Bill said, “What? Why would you want to do that? That is so dangerous.” She began slowing down and he started getting really nervous. “What are you doing? Don’t pull over!” And then, after a split second, he said, ...

I love it when something I’ve seen over and over again hits me as though I’ve never seen it before. I’ve heard people talk about how we are “adopted sons and daughters” of God and the Bible calls us “heirs of God.” I’ve even thought of how our adoption of our son Meyer was a picture of God’s adoption of us. But recently, I found the comparison to be remarkable in ways I didn’t expect.

We chose Meyer. He didn’t do anything to make it happen.  When Meyer entered our family, he had to learn new rules and change the way he lived his life, but even so, he is entitled to everything a member of the family should have. Not only is Meyer entitled to the stuff, but we love him just like we do our daughter Camille.

I know how much I love my kids. If you’re a ...

The “Sit and Spin.”  It’s the one toy I remember most from my childhood. Oh, I remember others too, but the “Sit and Spin” was definitely a favorite around the age that my daughters are now.  I remember how the grip on the wheel felt, how the sticker on the seat was slightly peeling and the rumble on the seat as I began my quest for super speed.

Today, the “cows” are our girls’ favorites.  (You might remember them as “Hoppity Hops.”) They love them.  We spend most afternoons conducting cow races.  They each have their own style. Della believes her pigtails make her fast.  Maggie believes her vocal cords somehow propel her forward.  I think they both may be right. (To see my girls in action, check out the video below!)

I find myself appreciating things I thought I had forgotten about my own childhood by watching my girls’ new ...

Imagine this: You get called into your boss’s office. You sit down and he says “Now this is nothing personal…” Has that phrase ever been followed by good news? “Now it’s nothing personal, but we want to promote you to Senior Vice President and double your salary!” I don’t think so.

I heard a guest speaker in church talking about this a while back and it got me thinking. We’ve impersonalized each other. The phrase “whatever it takes” is looked at as a positive. Didn’t Paul say "Don’t look only to your own interests, but also the interest of others?" How often do we actually do that?

When I have an agenda, it’s tempting to look at others in terms of their usefulness, or whether they are an obstacle to whatever goal I might have. How different would it be if we took Paul’s words seriously, (or Jesus’ “love your ...

Do you remember the old Wendy’s Hamburgers commercial with the old woman looking disappointed at the “big fluffy bun” and cried, “Where’s the Beef?” Do you remember the look on that woman’s face? I do. I saw it on the faces of my children, my husband and our guests when we all sat down for dinner recently.

I had made a meal that I was so proud of. The chicken smelled so good. The kids asked when we could eat from the moment the aroma had started wafting through the living room. Proudly, I started to cut through the chicken, but it appeared to be unusually boney. Could this be possible? I had never gotten a chicken that had so little meat before. I started compiling the complaint I would be making to the store clerk where I bought this thing from as panic started to set in. There was ...