I love a nap. Not everyone does, and I respect that. For me, the occasional Sunday afternoon nap is a real luxury. But my favorite is the kind where I am curled up on the sofa under a blanket and I drift off amid the sounds of people chatting in the kitchen while eating leftovers or putting dishes away and children laughing in the other room. This happens once or twice a year during the holidays when the house is full and loved ones are quite happy to let the aging hostess snooze on the sofa while they catch up on the facts and realities of each others’ lives. I…

I often feel gratitude that does not become expressed gratitude. And, as we approach the end-of-year festivities and the onset of a new year, I am aware of my need to develop a new and more consistent practice of giving voice to my thankfulness. It matters that the people in my life know how much I appreciate them and why. It matters that I tell God why I love Him. Why is it that human beings are sometimes prone to settle for feeling grateful and miss opportunities to give thanks? Possibly it is poor time management, and we just don’t get around to it. Or, maybe it’s a pride issue…

I once shook the hand of Ronald Reagan. When I was a Senior in high school, I applied for extra credit in my Civics and Government class by volunteering for campaign duty during the months leading up to the Presidential election. I logged dozens of hours in the telephone bank by calling registered voters to encourage them to make their voice heard on November 4th that year. As a perk for participating as a volunteer, just a few weeks prior to election day I was invited, along with others of my classmates, to be present at the local airport when the Reagans were expected to arrive for a visit to…

The path of the righteous. The highway of holiness. The narrow way. To the natural man, these descriptions of the journey of faith seem limiting. To the redeemed child of God, however, they represent the boundless freedom of life lived within the boundary lines of grace and truth. The world tells you that the path you take in life will either make you or break you. You will have heard it said that we are shaped by the events in our lives, for better or for worse. Or, what doesn’t kill you, will strengthen you. In my own journey, I have not found this to be entirely true. I’ve lived…