I find relay races inspiring. Every person on the team shares equal responsibility, and they all run eagerly to do their part well. If one team member is slow, another may...

It has been well over a year since I’ve seen my father. Since my parents’ divorce when I was young, he has drifted further and further from me and my brother....

After my sister’s surgery for a brain tumor, I stayed with her in the intensive care unit (ICU). She was suffering greatly, and I prayed for God to grant her relief...

I’ve always felt closest to God when I’m enjoying nature. I often hike along the Appalachian Trail, a 2,180-mile trail that runs through the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States....

In my retirement, I started a housecleaning business. One day a woman asked me to stop by her father’s house and provide a price quote. His grief over the recent loss...

Our church holds evening services twice a week on an open field. One Sunday as we were setting up for a service, thick, dark clouds began to gather. My pastor husband...

In the early days of dating my wife, I messed up — badly. I owned up to my mistake, but she was hurt and rightfully so. I remember wanting to skip...

The Christmas cactus that sits in my kitchen window hasn’t bloomed well for the last several years. Whenever I looked at it I would think that I needed to transplant it...

On the Goa beach on the western coast of India we sat in a boat preparing to set off for a dolphin observation tour. The sea was a little bit stormy,...

I enjoy watching the birds outside my home-office window. From this vantage point, I have learned about the feeding styles and food preferences of various birds. Slate-colored juncos hop backward on...