Idol on a Rampage
I happened across the neatest story of Abraham, the man the Bible designates as God's friend and the father of all who believe. Our scriptures first introduce him to us as Abram. Jewish records hold that Abram's father made a living selling idols. According to their tradition, Abram was a mere child when he first began questioning the legitimacy of the idols his family and the
A Tale Worth Tattling
From my earliest childhood memories I heard it said that no one likes a tattletale. And from my earliest childhood memories I noted that this warning did little to dissuade my peers and I from doing the telling, especially if we had the goods on an enemy. I also noticed that adults were exempt from the label. They were never tattling. They were well-meaning informants doing
How Telling is Your Transformation?
The news alert came across my car radio. A huge bolt of lightning had struck a California beach out of the blue in the middle of a beautifully sunny day, leaving one person dead and more than a dozen injured, one critically. I listened as the desk anchor cut to the scene where a field reporter was waiting to interview an eye witness. I'm still shaking
A Tailor Made Proposal
It would've been physically impossible for the young man who stopped by our table to smile any broader. Having heard that he was engaged and having already noted that he was with an attractive young lady we hadn't met, my husband and I felt sure we knew who was responsible for his big grin. Phil and I exchanged greetings with the couple and we all began
The Voice that Soothes Mens’ Souls
For better or worse, this is the only voice I have. I couldn't get away from it if I tried. My voice comes with me and by all accounts, it seems to linger when I'm gone. I've had people tell me they hear my voice when they're reading my columns or my books. Bless their hearts. Makes me want to apologize for being in their
Living Hand to Mouth on the Words of God
I was just a child the first time I heard it said that a good woman could throw more out the back door than a good man could bring in through the front. For the life of me, I couldn't imagine why the man's wife wanted to throw all of their stuff in the back yard. Years later I realized that the front door/back door
My Partner is Out of This World
Some of you may remember my talking about the rainbows in my herb garden. It was about this time last year when I first mentioned it. Allow me to sketch a quick back story in case you missed it because it's back on my mind. I have a spot in my back yard, above my herb garden, where I can create a rainbow at will. I
A Picture Worth a Thousand Words
My daughter was playing outside with her boys. It was the close of Potty Training/Day Two with the littlest one and things were going better than she had expected. "I'm so proud of you," Jessica told Connor. "You're Mama's big boy!" "Let's tell Keggie," Connor announced. That would be me. Jessica reached for her phone to call me, but Connor had another plan. Clearly, he'd just decided that
Don’t Play the Shame Game
Dog shaming. Have you seen this online craze? It's basically a database of pet pictures taken by their owners. The animals are posed alongside posters announcing their worst canine crimes to the whole wide world. For instance, one such sign might say, "I love rolling in dead things that wash up on the lake bank so Mama has to give me a bath." Why, yes, I am
Welcome to My World
This is likely to surprise long-time listeners who might think I jump out of bed like Tigger the boisterous tiger. The reality is that I wake up with an outlook closer to Eeyore the dismal donkey. No, I'm not joking. My first conscious thoughts, every single morning, are irrationally gloomy and colored with familiar feelings of hopelessness that suggest living is more drudgery than delight and