On Monday, June 25, 2018, Douglas and I will celebrate 14 years of marriage, a milestone that many people thought we would not reach, for we met on a Christian dating site (Viva la Internet!). We will be in Savannah, Georgia, walking beside my beloved Atlantic Ocean and appreciating our good fortune. Yes, there have... Continue Reading →
There was a man in the Army. He was told, “There is this group of snipers endangering the battle group. It is a dangerous job, but we need your squad to sneak up and eliminate them.” He said, “That doesn’t work for me. I need to know your will for my best.” He was dishonorably... Continue Reading →
Insomnia is a thief, for it robs us of needed rest for our bodies and our minds. And it seems insomnia is the first to jump on the bandwagon when trials come, making it impossible to find peace and have hope. As a teenager, I spent many a night alone as my mother worked the midnight... Continue Reading →
For nearly three years, we have lived next door to a mother and daughter who actually moved in the rental property next door the same week we bought our house. I never went over to saying hello, and they never came over to introduce themselves. It seems like knowing your neighbors is old-fashioned today. I... Continue Reading →
As we study Romans, if we forget where we have been and don’t understand where we are going, we can come to the wrong conclusions. Remember that the first chapters had everyone convicted of sin, but Jesus died so we would be justified. This seemed to leave the law nullified, except that salvation by faith... Continue Reading →
When we went to Portugal, we saw an amazing Cathedral. We walked up to the first sign and it talked about this ball peen hammer that was used in the building of the church. After ten lines of extolling the qualities of the hammer, at the end, in tiny script, it mentioned the king who... Continue Reading →
When I first became a Christian, I struggled with the concept of prayer. Some people would have a Wed eve prayer service. They would list the health woes in gory detail and ask for prayer, without expecting any results. Others would disagree and say, “Whatever you pray for, in Jesus name, he will answer.” The... Continue Reading →
During an especially difficult time in my life, I wondered if the earth was some kind of cosmic prison for the rest of the universe, the place people are sent when they have misbehaved in the rest of the cosmos. Being born black in the South in the 1950s, female, poor, and unattractive by cultural... Continue Reading →
It's difficult and painful to realize that you have been wearing a mask for a long time, not really being as authentic as you should have been. It does not matter if the mask was worn unintentionally; what matters is finding the courage to admit that you need to change and to be real in... Continue Reading →
Sometimes one unexpected question can change the way you see yourself. For me, the question was asked after a lecture on domestic violence in one of my sociology questions. A young female student raised her hand and asked, "How did you become such a strong woman after all that you have been through?" I stopped... Continue Reading →
