"Stiff-necked." I smile at this description of the disobedient, stubborn Israelites because thanks to a pet calf, I know exactly what "stiff-necked" means. When I was a young girl growing up...

One day, I discovered a splinter in each of my thumbs. At first it did not bother me. After all — five minutes with a needle, a little disinfectant, and the...

Within hours of sailing, every cruise ship requires all travelers to report on deck for a muster drill. The crew instructs passengers about the location of the lifeboats, which ones to...

We are a small church in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York. Daily we see God’s handiwork in glorious hillsides and beautiful lakes and streams. This beauty is...

The emotional pain I felt after my husband and I separated seemed unbearable. We had been married only two-and-a-half years but had been friends for more than half our lives. I...

I have been in the prodigal son’s shoes. I have experienced moments of regret and remorse and have humbly stumbled home. When reading this parable, I have always paid more attention...

My announcement of “Brain break!” always brings relief and joy to my students. As a teacher, I have found that 13-year-olds are unable to sit through 70 minutes of even my...

My husband, John, is a window washer and was finishing his last job before a holiday weekend. Then I got a call from him. “I need you to come and get...

Pamela met me at the chapel door, her face bright with eagerness as she showed me the shoebox in her hands. It was full of dried grass and moss and some...

Rainy days give me a slow, sleepy kind of feeling. While I usually enjoy these days, sometimes even when I seem to have no reason to feel sad, I feel dreary....