When I think about providence, I immediately think about my adult life. As children, our choices are limited and so are the consequences. But as adults, we are given an abundance of choices. What we choose can set our lives on paths with outcomes and consequences we never expected. In […]
Our Blog
70 posts
“Come.” The call stirs me in the early hours of the morning. My initial response is “Oh, thank you. But respectfully, not yet Lord.” I lie in bed and thank Him for the day, secretly hoping it will send me back to sleep. This particular morning felt different. Many times when […]
I avoid pumping gasoline whenever possible. The task is smelly and messy and, quite frankly, I do not feel safe in most gas stations. In fact, the indicator light often forces me to pull into a gas station after I have procrastinated as long as possible. One particular day, I […]
We gather in our living room once a month, a dozen or so moms of foster and adopted children. We share our latest family news, pour out our hearts, and bear one another’s burdens through prayer. And in between monthly meetings, we encourage each other through our private Facebook page. […]
“So I made friends with a priest,” my dad started with a laugh. He then told me about heckling a clergyman from another table who was also dining alone. They joined tables and my dad tried to convince him that there must be a Saint Neil somewhere. The priest assured […]
When we are loved and cared for, we can pour out our love to others. But we must be careful to examine our motives, too.
Severe thunderstorms, especially during spring and summer, are part of everyday life in northeast Ohio. They are so common that many of us give little or no thought to preparing for them when we hear the distant rumble of thunder and see moisture-laden clouds marching towards us. While rain is […]
January 16, 2019 by Linda Maynard She was a pagan redeemed; they were a redeemed drawn to paganism. She loved selflessly; they lusted selfishly. She was covered by the garment of her redeemer; they removed their garment covering. A deeper dive into the Biblical stories of Ruth and the Israelites of […]
Overcoming the Language Gap We named our son “Whine.” At least that’s what our new friends in Russia believed. His name is Noah, a beautiful, Biblical moniker meaning “rest” to us. But to the people of his birth country, the word sounded like “noy,” which means “whine or sulk.” Yikes! […]
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 Hunkered down in the outfield on a sticky, buggy summer night waiting to chase fly balls is probably not on many a young woman’s to-do list. Given the choice, I bet most would […]
My new vacuum cleaner taught me a Bible lesson. We had just purchased the complicated machine, featuring different brushes for different surfaces, multiple cleaning solutions for various needs, and a restoration process that would clean the appliance and prepare it for the next job. As I stood staring at all […]
July 17, 2019 by Amy Shatrick Freedom is the final reward of discipline.-Elisabeth Elliot Tick, tock, tick, sigh.TICK, TOCK, TICK, SIGH.Stand up, roam around, get a drink of water.Sit back down, stare at pages.Watercolor words become leaping frogs in a pond.Tick, tock, tick, sigh.Go clean the kitchen.I’ll try later. A few […]