The puppies
At 3:00 a.m., I was outside under a clear starry sky, bundled up and carrying a flashlight and two plastic bags. Tagging at my heels were two eight-week-old German shephe... »
Mara Hodler
The cheerful giver
It was a typical morning in our home. We were all rushing to get ready for the day—kids getting ready for school, breakfast to be made, spaces to be tidied, and me trying... »
Don’t worry, be happy!
There are some things I’m good at: I can clean, organize, delegate, and plan like a boss. I can cook well enough to get paid to do it, and I can write pretty well. But I... »
Check your gauges
I killed our van. I was driving along at the peak of summer—and also at the peak of rush hour—completely lost. In the middle of crawling traffic, my air conditioner stopp... »
How can I make a difference?
Whenever I log in to Facebook or load a news website—or when I glance at the newsrack at the checkout—it seems there are always some really ugly things going on, and I fi... »
Knights and mirrors
One of the movies I watched the most often when growing up was Man of La Mancha. [[Dale Wasserman, Produzioni Europee Associates, 1972]] It seemed that every couple of mo... »
Sometimes, you don’t need a miracle
I wasn’t born a citizen of the United States of America. Earning the right to be here was a process. I had to fill out piles of forms, spend hours on the phone with offic... »
Love never fails to love
Most of us are familiar with the phrase “Love never fails.” [[1 Corinthians 13:8]] It’s illustrated in children’s devotionals. It’s woven into songs, stories, and poems.... »
Jonathan’s integrity
I’ve always thought Prince Jonathan, the son of Israel’s first anointed king, is an amazing example in the Bible of honor and integrity. Think about it: he was logically... »
The “being” part
Do you ever wonder if you are doing what God wants you to do? As in, what’s that purpose you were created for? What is it that you’re meant to do that will give your life... »
It’s my fight
The movie Shenandoah is set during the American Civil War. It’s a moving story of a Southern family caught up in the conflict of the day. The patriarch of the family, Cha... »
Another layer of Easter
I was thinking about Easter the other night when a line popped into my head: “He did not leave my soul in hell.” It sounded like a Bible passage, but I wasn’t sure. Neith... »
A tale of two camps
A friend of mine told me that when she was young, even though her family was close and they loved one another very much, fairness was always an issue. She said that when... »