Unexpectedly, I’ve teared up several times in the last eight days over the death of Queen Elizabeth II. This brave and honorable lady touched lives here “across the pond” in America and around the world. Of course, she was imperfect, but known to set anyone at ease; fun-loving, yet serious about the things that mattered.…
Could I Be More Grateful ? — My Reflection in the Garden of Gethsemane
Like the olive treeAncient branches knotted, fused —Your will one with that of the Father.Branches twisted, pierced through.Soon Your sinews, muscles would strain, contorted,Flesh torn.Yet You chose to meet Your betrayerWent willingly, boundYou who spread out a universeTo declare Your glory.Now Your glory shoneFrom obedience to deathOn a cross of wood.Fulfilling all things,Righteous Branch,You burst…
When You’re Crippled by Shame and Meet a King Compelled by Kindness
I had read this surprising story before. But for the first time I realized there was more meaning in it for me — for us — than I could have imagined. It's a true story, of a king compelled by kindness and a pauper crippled by shame. Years before he came into power, the king…
Can You Make a Choice to Stay in the Joy?
Phrases etched in my memory nearly 40 years ago came back to me again recently: “…como propuso en su corazón…porque Dios ama al dador alegre.” In the small church I attended in Cuernavaca, Mexico, we quoted the verse these phrases come from every Sunday before the offering was taken. With my dear church friend Amparo…
Once an Alien, One May Wonder —Always an Alien?
Have you ever been an alien? I have — a registered, certified alien. There may be reason to doubt, but, no, not the extra-terrestrial kind. As a single American for four years in Mexico, and as a wife, then mother, for 28 years in the Philippines, I was a resident alien. I needed to continually…
Healthy Ingredients for a Marriage: Are We Stirring up a Feast?
“It would be worth a thousand dollars,” my friend and mentor said when I told her what I wanted. That sounded like way more than I was used to spending for anything. I had told her I had long-standing questions about my marriage, but didn’t know if I could afford counseling. Ed and I loved…
Such a Godly Person, Except for That One Thing
When I die, will my family and friends say to one another, “She was such a godly person, except for _________”? I hope not! I want them to say, “She grew so much in _________ (that area). She never stopped growing.” I want to be like Paul, who said as he neared the end of…
O What Peace We Often Forfeit, O What Needless Pain We Bear
It was like swimming in a liquid jewel, I finally decided. When I swam in the pure, gem-toned waters surrounding the U.S. Virgin Islands, it felt like a feast for the senses. The bays that sculpt the coastlines of those islands are glorious places to find yourself swimming -- something I never imagined doing while…
Should I Settle for Cheap Happiness, or Is There Something Better?
Have you taken these easy routes to cheap happiness, as I have? The one-more-cookie comfort for sadness or loneliness? The momentary satisfaction of venting your feelings before praying them through? The brief "fun" of getting away with procrastination or toying with unhealthy thoughts? The mindless enjoyment of scrolling, scrolling, scrolling? Our struggles against ungodly choices…
The Ultimate Companion on Our Journey of Faith
That glazed look on some of us during/after one of our long journeys to the Philippines, 1997. How are you this new year? Shaken? Discouraged? Hopeful but tired? Lift up your heart with me to our wise and compassionate Companion on this pilgrimage through life. In four decades as a gospel worker, a long eye-blink…
The Nearness of God 