Was Noah Good?

Russell Crowe’s “Noah” premieres this Friday, March 28. I’m looking foward to seeing it. But when the first trailers came out last year, I was skeptical. In the interviews, Noah was described “not benevolent” and not good. Crowe’s “Noah” tells his son, at one point in the trailer, that he wasn’t chosen for being good: “I... Read More

When Small Beginnings Die

It’s strange weather for starting seeds, with the garden buried six feet under in snow… but spring is only seven weeks away! Every year when we start seedlings, my husband says, “I’ll just plant a few different kinds of tomatoes…” Every year, the “few” turn into a vast, unnavigable jungle, tightly packed with tomatoes to pick. I try... Read More

If at First You Don’t Succeed, Add an Engine

Almost at the end of our long drive home, the kids shrieked over two small airplanes descending across the highway… not that I would ever take pictures while driving… On a whim, we followed them to their hangar and then whipped around to Stearman Field, hoping to catch a couple planes making their last few flights before the weather turned bad. Among the airplane... Read More

Getting Ahead of Thanksgiving

We tried to wait… We tried not to start celebrating Christmas until Thanksgiving was over… We didn’t quite make it. In my defense, I had promised the kids a cupcake decorating party. When I went to buy cupcake supplies… there was the Christmas baking display already, looking irresistibly festive. It’s a challenge, giving thanksgiving its due space... Read More

Thanksgiving for Remembering

“Take a turkey out to lunch Let him sit right down and munch But don’t say a word to that silly old bird About… you know… Thanksgiving Day — Oops! I gave it away! Gobble, gobble, gobble!” Nutmeg danced around the living room a couple days ago, high on the song she had learned and the Pilgrim hat she had made at school. This is the first Pilgrim... Read More

Poem: Delivered

The poem below was born out of my growing understanding of the threads woven through countless ancient stories and prophecies… like clues to hidden treasure. The mystery of rebirth must be one of the greatest hidden treasures ever. Where did Jesus get the concept of being “born of water and spirit” in John 3:5? How far back does the idea originate? This poem explores... Read More

The Child Who Was Promised: Seven Reasons for the Season

When I moved here, I was not able to read the Bible. Every time I tried, so many questions would pop into my mind that it was too frustrating to continue. For a while now, I’ve wanted to write about the reason I’ve started believing more fully then ever before that the Bible is true. If you’ve ever had doubts about the Christmas story, please take time to search... Read More

Photo Fall-Back

I have a zillion posts planned, but I seem to have a case of writer’s block after the star poem. There is forever a pull toward the status quo… Plus, I’ve been dealing with things like this: That was sour cream, intended for Thanksgiving Day mashed potatoes. How was your Thanksgiving?! It seems like I just posted a similar picture on my facebook page a couple... Read More

A Gift from His Grief

How powerful is Jesus to meet my real needs? Last week I had a day full of the kinds of frustrations that threaten to consume me at times. You know… the days when a child’s unhappiness seems never-ending… when another person’s brokenness weighs like a hundred pounds… when my own failures fill my tolerance to the brim… when someone’s absence... Read More

Never Too Far Gone

A recently discovered slip of papyrus brought back an old question to the attention of the media: Did Jesus have a wife? I’m not smart enough to know the answer for sure. I will say this, though… If Jesus did have a wife, she might have been hard-pressed not to struggle with jealousy! Consider just a few of the many women who followed Jesus: – The woman at the... Read More