When I was 11 years old, a new family joined our church. Alex, the 13-year-old boy in this family, was a bit of a wild child. I mostly avoided Alex because...

As a nurse in a busy surgical-oncology unit, I was feeling depleted. Slumped into a pew in the quiet hospital chapel, I gazed mindlessly at a group of candles in the...

During a trip to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, my wife and I had the opportunity to see a glassblower at work. It was fascinating to watch. He blew through the...

Five years ago, my firstborn son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. This life-threatening disease requires checking his blood sugar and dosing him with insulin several times a day. At the...

Jesus’ words in Matthew 25 remind me of the importance of caring for the needs of those around me. This passage helps me to remember that Christ lives around us, and...

In the front yard, our brightly decorated birdhouse was home to a family of bluebirds. I was riveted to my binoculars as I watched the babies peer out one by one...

I remember the day I witnessed my daughter’s first marathon. While the grueling physical toll is evident in the bodies of the athletes, the mental and emotional strain is not so...

Being a perfectionist, I can be pretty hard on myself when things don’t go just right. Often judgmental, condemning, and merciless thoughts about myself plague me. Why can’t I be the...

On vacation in Vienna, Austria, my husband and I took time to watch the famous Lipizzaner stallions. These beautiful horses performed elegant maneuvers, precise and controlled steps, and amazing leaps. I...

In 2017, I pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. Due to the felony conviction, I was required to surrender my CPA license, which meant that I had to physically...