What can we learn from the Amish?On a recent trip to lovely Lancaster County, Pa., there was an opportunity to take an Amish tour, and learn more about this remarkable group of people.  Most people know the Amish choose to live differently from the non-Amish people around them.  If you're not Amish, by the way, you're considered "English".  The Ami...  Read More

                                                        God's Love Brings UnityOn Wednesday night, October 7, 2020, vice presidential candidates, Vice President Mike Pence and Kamala Harris had a televised debate.For the final question of the debate, the moderator read a question posed by Brooklyn Brown, an eighth grader at Springville Junior High in Springville, Utah.  Here's what she wrote:"When...  Read More

Our mindsets are more important than we realize.The Bible addresses this when we’re told to “take captive every thought” to Christ.”(2 Corinthians 10:5)And, “think on these things…” (Philippians 3:8)“These things,” by the way, are: whatever is True, Noble, Just, Lovely, Pure, of Good Report,Virtuous, and Praiseworthy.” A pneumonic device I’ve long employed to remember this important verse is: TNJ ...  Read More

Have you ever thought of yourself as a Letter?                        June 2020Have you ever thought of yourself as a letter?Did you know that people are reading you, everyday?And we’re not talking about “reading your mail,” as some like to refer to regarding your emotional status. We’re talking about how you show you are a letter from Christ.In 2 Corinthians Paul was dealing with problems that ha...  Read More

     Living like a … Spider!                                                                             May 2020              One of the benefits of the covid-19 sheltering-in-place mandate is taking more time to notice people and things around you. Some call that being fully present.Recently one morning I was astounded to notice a lovely brown (hunstman, or wood) spider outside, shimmering in th...  Read More

As I write this, we are still following guidelines of  " sheltering in place", "social isolation",  and keeping six feet away from anyone when we are around others.  (Less than 10 people, please.)It's a strange time.  We are beginning to "flatten the curve", we hope.  It's been a month since the worldwide covid-19 pandemic was declared, and restrictive regulations were ins...  Read More

Charles Dickens begins his classic book, A Tale of Two Cities, with these opening words: " It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."These words seem applicable to our time as well.Right now we are a full two weeks into the worldwide declared coronavirus, or covid-19 pandemic.  Right now, we are attempting to "flatten the curve" by maintaining "social distancing" of six feet or more; ...  Read More

                                                     The patient had been stripped of everything but the thin, barely concealing, faded, worn print gown.   She was lying on a thin stretcher, with locked wheels and cold metal sidebars in place.Her personal clothing had been removed.  Her jewelry was gone.  And so was her purse.  There was no backpack. No bags, no book, no phone, no electronics of a...  Read More

Grace is a funny word. It can be a lovely name for a woman, what some people say before they eat a meal, and something written about often in the New Testament in the Bible. It can be a noun or a verb. It can be elegant movement or social politeness. It has always been difficult to explain…one of those things you know when you’ve experienced it, but hard to describe...  Read More

          There is a new Netflix movie out entitled “Holiday in the Wild.” Yes it is cheesy. Yes it is predicable. And yes there’s romance.          But there’s also Africa. Ah, Africa. The land of warm people and magnificent animals and dusty roads and nature and … simplicity.          The movie has several themes: second chances, discovering your true identity, saving the alarmingly declining el...  Read More

How we love Fall! The changing colors of the leaves… the cool crisp air… the fallfairs and festivals and everything pumpkin… Wait! In Florida we don’t have changing colors of leaves and cool crisp air,(except that one day…) Of course there are other subtle changes, and all thingspumpkin, but it isn’t like elsewhere. And that’s just the point. We are here for a purpose. As God’s children, dearly b...  Read More

     In the inspiring movie “Overcomer,” one of the characters is asked, “Do you know who you are?”     His response is typical of most of us. He identifies himself by his vocation, spouse, children, family connections, friends, sport(s) and maybe even his church.     But the question leaves the character thinking. Just what is his identity?     Today I ask you the same question: do you know who y...  Read More