August has a way of speeding everything back up. Vacations wind down. School emails start multiplying. Practices, meetings, homework, and packed lunches loom. The family calendar that had a little breathing room suddenly can’t be read from the...

Last Spring, during the end of her semester at college, my daughter, Layla, called her mom and me up one day and exclaimed, “I have found a dog that I really want and I promise to take care of it. You guys will just have to watch him for a few weeks before I get home from college.&rdquo...

"Oh, shoot! I missed it." The opportunity was right there, but I wasn't paying attention. God had arranged the moment, but I didn't see what He was doing. Even worse, He had already given me the tools I needed and taught me the heart behind using them well. But because my eyes weren't open, I...

Luke 9:59… Jesus said, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 60 And Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Say what!!?? In the gospel accounts Jesus said some things that...

A couple of songs from the album Best of Fernando Ortega, Live in St. Paul are among my most-listened-to over the past few years. I listen on Spotify and sort of cherry-pick the ones I like, so I don’t really know the rest of the songs that well.  This month, I’ve played the...

Two-year-old Ben tore down our street, cackling wildly. His mother, less pleased with her son's freedom, ambled behind him calling, "Ben, stop!" As her repeated and ineffective cries of "Ben, stop!" crescendoed, her walking speed did not. My husband realized mom wasn't going to catch Ben and...

Growing up, there were no leftovers. Tupperware to hold food until the next day just wasn't really a thing in our house. Maybe it was because I had ten brothers and sisters. Maybe it was because my dad was a mechanic, and we simply didn't have an abundance. Or maybe it was because my parents...

King David begins Psalm 19 with this phrase; The heavens declare the glory of God… Immediately when I read that two questions come to mind. First, how do the heavens declare anything? Second what is the Glory of God being declared? To answer the first question, I believe David is...

I recently caught my 6yr old sneaking downstairs to gobble up sweets before I woke up in the morning. I discovered this truth when I found a family-sized bag of cake pops completely empty. When I confronted him, he realized there was no way out, so he confessed, but with no visible remorse...

Don't you just hate when the weather's not perfect for church? If it snows — too hard. If it's cold — too uncomfortable. If it's warm and sunny — too nice to waste indoors. And the volume in service? I got standards, don't you? Not too loud (that's suffering). Not too soft...