One of the most important aspects of faith in God is knowing the extent of our faith, meaning what is it that we really believe that God can do in our lives and in the lives of others. Often the extent of our faith is based on testimonies of what God has done for others... Continue Reading →
When we strike up a friendship in our teens, we don't know that it has the potential to last the rest of our lives. At present, my oldest friend and I have been friends for 52 years. She approached me one day and started a conversation. I was so surprised, because no one wanted to... Continue Reading →
A year ago in June, I started this blog post as a way to prepare to write a memoir. I wanted to present stories of triumph in seemingly impossible situations, to encourage, inspire, and give hope to people experiencing like events. I wanted especially for people to understand and appreciate that I knew that it... 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 →
I was so glad to read this morning that Ryan Reynolds, the actor in Deadpool, admitted to having battled anxiety all of his life. I have been there and it is no fun. I struggled with it for years, never going to the doctor because I thought I was "crazy," and that I would be... Continue Reading →
Like many people my age who spent their working lives employed by a telephone company, I am amazed at the technology that allows us to carry our phones in our hands. I would have never imagined that the old, black, dial-up phone connected to the wall would one day be the Swiss-knife of communications, with... Continue Reading →
We sat in on a Bible study on Thursday at the International Evangelical Church here in Quateria, Portugal. I was quite surprised by the combination of a mostly British study group led by two young men with Irish ancestry. Indeed, one of the young men was headed back to Belfast, Ireland in the next week.... Continue Reading →
Using the definition of talisman as anything whose presence (and by extension, lack of presence) exercises a remarkable or powerful influence on human feelings and actions, I believe that love, by its presence or its absence, is the greatest talisman. This is why it so important that children learn that their parents love them. When... Continue Reading →
As a professor, it was my job to incubate a love of learning and to encourage students that they could achieve and be all that God created them to be. As an incubator, IÂ nurtured young minds to see the world as a place in which they were expected to make a difference, rather than... Continue Reading →
Better late than never is a cliche, but there is a hint of truth in every cliche, and this one fits us to a T. There is truly wonder in the gift of later-life love that leaves me in awe of the Creator. Wonder defines a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, and it is... Continue Reading →
