A devotional entry I recently read gave me reason for pause. The writer suggested that all your life could basically be training “for one moment, crisis, or opportunity.” He was trying to encourage his readers, no doubt, with the idea that “Your time will come. God will put you in the right place at the …
A favorite joke of mine says, “There are three types of people in the world: those who can count and those who can’t”. But Paul verifies in I Corinthians that there actually are three types of people in the world, and it’s no laughing matter! Most people are what Paul refers to as natural or …
I’m intrigued by the way the application of various shades of color conceals flaws, whether makeup on a face, paint on a wall, or stain on wood. Highlighting and creating beauty magically diverts one’s attention from any imperfections. I experienced a magnificent example of this one summer. We visited an outdoor festival downtown, featuring gifted artists …
In the past year we’ve had two floods in our basement. The first affected the ceiling, part of an outer wall, and a good-sized area of parquet flooring. The second concentrated itself around our water heater, an area behind a large storage closet, and the basement bathroom floor. Rather than wallowing in self-pity after these …
Years ago our three oldest boys sometimes fought over who got to sit in the station wagon’s front seat. I guess they felt special or more grown up sitting beside the driver. Observing the scene logically, this made no sense to me. Regardless of where they sat, everyone reached the destination at the same time! …
I admire eloquent speakers and those quick on their feet. My husband and my dad have those gifts. Each is a skilled story teller, and I love a good story. But a few people are so loquacious that my brain has a difficult time keeping up! Their verbosity overwhelms me. And while they seem to have …
The day after basement flood #2 (See Pipe Lesson 1) I decided to milk as much out of our plumbing problems as possible. There had to be a silver lining in this gray cloud of water leaks. Hence, multiple posts about pipes! Typically copper pipes don’t spring leaks spontaneously. So it took some detective work to …
Recently we experienced an unexpectedly busy 24-hour period, filled with one problem after another. It began when JB discovered a leak in our basement, the second in a year, caused by a nail poking through the joist. By the next afternoon our plumber had repaired the faulty pipe and we enjoyed running water once more. …
Back in the “olden days” we used cameras that required film. And one year at a Lutheran summer camp in Vermont, I learned how to develop that film. A crucial element in this process involved keeping an eye on the clock–because timing was everything. The film itself revealed “the negatives.” No one spent time studying …
In many ways my husband and I are alike. We each enjoy nature, hiking, music, exercise, family time, funny (clean) movies, and most of all, God’s Word. In other ways, however, we differ. One discrepancy manifests itself in our philosophies about possessions. I hold to the adage, “A place for everything . . .” But …
As a child I enjoyed reading and rereading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in which the eccentric factory owner, Willy Wonka, must manage five children visiting his chocolate factory. This first occurs when they see the river of chocolate for the first time. The gluttonous and obese Augustus Gloop is mesmerized by the gallons of sweetness …
I appreciate some parts of my body more than others. When I’m hungry and it’s time to eat I appreciate my teeth and tongue. When I want to research and read I appreciate my eyes. When it’s time to listen to Mozart I appreciate my ears. But what would life be like without elbows? No …
