She didn’t have to
Every year, I get a letter from a woman who I knew for about six months over a decade ago. When we met, I felt like my life was on fire. I had four young kids, we had jus... »
Personal Accounts
The healing power of love
I met Martha, a retired nurse, during a particularly challenging time in her life. Martha had reached a point where she was considering suicide. I talked with her about G... »
Being an instrument of God’s goodness
Years ago, my husband and I were missionaries in Foz do Iguaçu, a city in the south of Brazil. We did puppet shows with our children in schools and institutions to raise... »
Lessons from the road
I stopped driving after the catastrophic 8.8 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated the south-central part of Chile in 2010. For a year I trudged along the Chi... »
God’s unfailing promises
As we turn the page of the past, we can look forward to tomorrow with hope and expectancy. This may sound overly optimistic, but I prefer looking at the future from that... »
Hidden treasures
Occasionally the seemingly insignificant things that happen to us carry a deep meaning, if we will take the time to reflect on them. Here is an example: We had been doing... »
Our identity
At the close of the year I think about the negative habits that I would like to shed and the better habits that I would like to form. I have a “blank book” of 365 pages s... »
Prepared for the battle
When preparing for the new year, I was reminded that life is a battle, a fact which is supported in the Bible. There are many verses where warfare, battles, weapons, figh... »
God has always been faithful
We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame,... »
Stoking the fire
We sat down after dinner on New Year’s Eve and talked about what we would like to do to celebrate the New Year. My daughter said she would love a fire, and we soon had on... »
All things to all people
The Bible tells us, ”Do not be shaped by this world” (Romans 12:2 NCV). It also tells us to “become all things to all people” so that by all means some might be saved (1... »
Not willing that any should perish
God’s great love and grace reaches out to all His creations, and He didn’t create some people that He loves less and others that He loves more. He didn’t label people of... »