Light in dark places
In The Fellowship of the Ring,[J.R.R. Tolkien, 1954] the elven “Lady of Light” Galadriel presents Frodo with a crystal phial containing the light of Eärendil’s star. “It... »
Volume 15.10 | October 2014
Down in the salt mines
We went down 378 spiraling steps into the Wieliczka Salt Mine in southern Poland, wondering what we would find and thinking about how easy it would be to get lost in the... »
Coming through
Light is appreciated and valued, because we’ve experienced darkness. Hope is truly valued after we’ve experienced despair. Our blessings bring us the greatest joy, becaus... »
Moment by moment
When our son Pete was three, he was diagnosed with leukemia, and from one moment to the next, our lives changed drastically. There are no instruction manuals that can pre... »
Face the storm
Quite a few years ago, our small family was traveling on a freighter from Europe to our new field of service in South America. Due to long delays in the loading of the sh... »
Riding the dragon
Strapping on my harness and checking my gear to make sure it was secure, I held the reins tightly in my hands. The winged creature lurched, squirmed, wriggled, and writhe... »
A valley visit
The Hebrew word bakah means “weeping,” and in Bible times there was a valley in Israel called by that name. Figuratively, the Valley of Baca is a place where all of us ha... »
The payoff of perseverance
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”—Christopher Robin (A. A. Milne) The first time I read this quote, I thought of a st... »
Dealing with disappointment
Who hasn’t experienced disappointment on occasion? Maybe a friend failed you; maybe anticipated recognition at work did not materialize; perhaps what you thought would be... »
Winter is coming
I dislike cold, icy, snowy winters. That is a big reason I was happy living in Mexico for many years. But now my wife and I are in Canada, and yesterday it snowed. It is... »
Hard knocks
Have you ever wondered why it is that from time to time you find yourself going through the school of hard knocks? Just when you’re thriving on some “ups” in your life, s... »
The mystery of the fig tree
Figs are fruits mentioned in the Bible that are still familiar today, whether they are soft, juicy, fresh figs or the sweet, chewy, dried variety. Fig trees are a common... »
Love to the core
Life can be rough, and it’s not always easy to understand why things happen the way they do. When everything seems to be going wrong, it’s natural to question My love, bu... »