One of the Saddest Lover Scenes

It was like the ultimate lover betrayal.  He walked through their rooms, seeing evidence of the Other Lover – of him who had grabbed her heart—everywhere.   At the North entrance to their home stood a sculpture carved with the Other’s face. “This was my yard! How could it be here?” It felt like a…

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Lightning Storms and Drafting Zeke

Photo credits He was thirty years old.  Well-educated, articulate, up-to-date with history and current events, well-versed in foreign affairs, he was nonetheless an oddity. Forced into exile by a conquering nation, he lived thousands of miles from home and everything was unfamiliar – the language, cultures, and religion were all different. Still, he married and…

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Robins and Sunny Afternoons

Pale green blades of grass poked a half inch tall out of black pavement on the street beneath our feet. Determined to make healthy choices, my man and I alternated between jogging and walking on a hot Sunday afternoon. Walking was definitely more frequent than jogging, my rythmic breathing embarrassingly loud in the sunny suburban…

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Life and Death Intertwined

A cloud of caramel-colored cattail fluff flew towards me. Waving his cattail sword gleefully against the red slide and grey drawbridge, Daniel laughed as each swat emitted another fairy-tale cloud of fluff. It clung to his navy and red-striped pants, and tickled his neck near the blue hoodie. Wrinkling my nose unconsciously at the tiny…

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Talking to Your Kids About God (School-age Edition)

Walking past her doorway, we could hear booming actors talking inside about a woman desperately looking for her tenth coin, or about blind men chasing down a carpenter renowned for his miracles. Other days, a loud orator would discuss breaking seals and pouring out bowls, and Revelation soon became her favorite book of the Bible.…

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Suburban Ninjas and a Peach Pie

The doorbell rang. Before we could get to the door, there was a clatter, the sound of running feet, and a car door slamming. Descending our flight of stairs and opening the front door, we could only perceive blurry details of some people and a car disappearing out of sight. On the wooden porch step…

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Talking to Your Kids About God (Preschool Edition)

“But I want to SEE Jesus!” he insisted. “Where is he? Can he come play at my house?” “Well, you can’t see him right now.”  “Why? Is he hiding?” My preschooler craned his neck to peer into the bathroom closet.  “No, you just can’t see him right now,” I explained. “He’s here; but we can’t…

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A Family Bending in Prayer Together

Ahhh… the butterscotch chip cookie crumbles into my mouth as I bite it. Hot coffee gurgles and percolates in the kitchen and I can barely wait for it to be ready! Soothing nature/instrumental melodies stream from online, and the house feels peaceful.  Tousle-headed preschooler naps in his lower red bunk bed and my teens study…

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