Personal Accounts
The faith way
Like a lot of people, as each new year approaches, I try to reflect on the past year and set goals for the coming one. As I was about to do that this year, a friend sent... »
Best-laid plans
Ever since our family moved to southeast Texas, we’ve been experiencing frequent hurricanes, floods, sweltering heat in the summer, and freezing temperatures in the winte... »
Dandelions and green scallions
Nature is amazingly resilient. The temperature had dropped to freezing, and though I had carefully covered my plants, I was sad to discover that the frost killed quite a... »
A living sacrifice
“Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find... »
The man who found Christmas
My wife and I once saw a German stage production of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. You likely know the story of a miserly banker who transforms into a kind and ge... »
A better tomorrow
On a return trip from visiting some of my children and grandchildren, I was waiting to board my plane at Gate 56. The silence was rudely broken by a voice emanating from... »
Christmas on the road
Some years back, my husband and I were serving as missionaries in northern Brazil when an opening came up for us to take part in a new venture helping young people in Bue... »
Last Christmas…
Christmas 2020 looked like it was shaping up into a bleak affair. The newspapers were swamped with letters from people mourning for past days when they were able to get t... »
The best part of Christmas
As I rushed around the streets of Morelia, Mexico, the stoplights were crowded with beggars. It was Christmas Eve, and I had gone out with my 10-year-old daughter Cathy f... »
Advent ideas
I love the idea of Advent, though I admit that I’m not too great at observing it. It comes at the busiest time of the year when I’m rushing to meet year-end goals and dea... »
How i replaced stress with peace
I had a solo and five or six ensemble/quartet pieces to practice, a music exam coming up, and a speech (partly in the local Xhosa dialect) to prepare for. And not only th... »