Ever have one of those days (or, several days) you feel God’s testing you? Your patience, perseverance, temperament? When everything’s going well, I find it easy to hold onto the peace God promises. But then, who wouldn’t? It’s when life doesn’t go according to my plan, that it gets a little more challenging. I’m not even talking world-changing events here—just …
It’s rare these days to find a movie worth its ticket price. The reviews alone are enough to make me shake my head in disgust. Maybe I’m pickier than some, but I’d rather spend my time (and money) on worthier causes than supporting the often sophomoric productions put out by the movie industry. So when one comes along that …
Romans 3:10 says, “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one.’” I know I’m a sinner, but it’s not something I like to talk about. Who does? I blow it often enough that I don’t question the truth of it. However, there are times when I feel compelled (by the Holy Spirit, I’m sure) to take …
When I was about twelve, I was wandering around Union Square in San Francisco. My mother worked in the city, and my siblings and I would often take the bus in mid-day, have lunch with her and hang out until she got off of work. Obviously, that was a long time ago, as any mother in her right mind today …
Ever have one of those day where nothing seems to go as planned? And of course, those times occur when I have more on my plate than I can reasonably finish. I find that when those times occur, it’s more about my attitude than anything else. Yesterday was such a day. Although I started out with some time alone with …
When I was ten, my grandparents retired to a piece of property in Camino, California—off of Apple Hill drive near Placerville. Before this move, they lived in the Bay Area where Grandpa tended to his small lawn and rose bushes with the such meticulous care, he earned a reputation in his neighborhood. So it was no surprise that when they …
This past weekend, my husband and I went up to South Lake Tahoe to celebrate our anniversary and did something we’ve never done before—attended a magic show. More specifically,Alex Ramon’s Illusion Fusion at the Horizon Casino. I’ve never been a fan of magic shows, but friends of ours saw this one last month and raved about it. Illusionist Alex Ramon …
Often, while writing, I’ll click onto the Internet to look up something whether it’s information on a town my character’s visiting, Bible scripture or (gasp) the correct spelling of a word that my pesky spell-checker underlines in red. My Internet default page is set to Yahoo!, so I’m often captured by one of their headlines. There I go, down a …
Do you ever feel the need to challenge yourself? I think it’s pretty easy to rest in comfort. I tend to lean toward complacency—I call it my lazy bone—and have to push through my personal plateaus. This can be with anything from Bible study to cooking. Comfort is easy because it takes no effort and I can coast. And if …
When Chris and I prepare to plant our summer garden, we go down to the local nursery and pick up the basics: Tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, eggplant and basil. Often, we try something a little different—this year is was spaghetti squash and green beans by seed. We’re never quite sure how things will turn out. We can control only so …
