We have a grandson who is nine years old today. His mom and dad are throwing a party, and we are looking forward to the celebration and the gift giving. Mind you, coming up with the something that would expressly please a nine-year-old boy seemed a bit daunting, until my husband (a.k.a.Papa) hit upon what we hope to be simply the best gift ever: a three-man tent for camping. Now this tent did not come from the local mart. It did not come shipped from a warehouse. This tent came from Papa’s storage room. It is the same tent he has camped in for the last 20 years. Of course,…

One of my hearing aids quit working. About five weeks ago I could not get my right hearing device to turn on. And, as I did not have time to trouble shoot that morning, I went to work without them. I had some minor frustration during the day, especially during interactions that involved masks and distancing, but overall, not terrible. Over the next several days I tried a number of different things to see if I could get the tiny electronic device to work. All to no avail. Since my audiologist is in another town, making time for repairs is a bit of a challenge. Additionally, I’ve been putting in…

Writer’s block is a real thing. The blank page can be intimidating and somewhat paralyzing. Pushing through this wall takes determination and courage, and if you’re a writer, you know exactly what I’m talking about. There is that moment when you are absolutely convinced that no matter how effervescent you’ve been in the past, no matter how readily the words have tumbled out, the well is now completely dry and no more water will come gushing or even trickling forth. You lose faith in the source. The same, I think, can be true in our prayer life. You come to a place, a season, when it seems harder than ever…

One of my nieces just gave birth to her fourth son. Our rather large extended family could not imagine a more wonderful expression of God’s promises to us as we gathered to celebrate Easter today. New life has a way of enlarging our vision, filling us with new expectations. A brand new person is now entering into the purposes of God in our family, and we extend the borders and welcome him into our midst. I cannot help but wonder if we are experiencing a small measure of the joy that fills heaven when a new believer in Christ joins the family of God. The Kingdom of God advances with…