Don’t let others try and define your future for you. The world is full of those who think the worst of people. Don’t be like them. Don’t allow the nitpickers to destroy your hopes for success. God called us to be like Him. He called us to beat the odds – to overcome both the simple and complex barriers we…
Month: March 2016
The Gospel of Baked Beans
Billy scarcely scraped enough money to buy groceries. He planted tobacco on his three acres by the Ohio River every year without the use of fertilizer. His relatives hoped for a good crop on that land for generations. He lived alone and welcomed my book-selling visit even though he had no money to spare. Billy dominated the conversation. It appeared…
My Grandparents’ Transforming Love
When my brothers and I get together and recollect our childhood, we recognize our memories are extremely idyllic! We have great memories and feels of our growing up years. One of those idyllic memories is of my grandparents’ house. Oh, it wasn’t a beach house or lake house, not a cabin in the mountains… it was a small, plain house…
High Point Forgiveness
High Point is a village situated in north central Pennsylvania. A lake with crystal clear, cold water is fed by springs in the surrounding mountains. The city of Lebanon eight miles south bought the lake and thousands of watershed acreage. High fences protect it from development or recreational use. The water is piped to replace the city’s preponderance of wells…
The Hands I Love
The hands that I love are many. My Mom’s hands scratched my back when I was a little girl. They sleepily rubbed my knees in the middle of nights I would wake up crying with growing pains. They lovingly washed my hair in the kitchen sink on Friday nights. My Dad’s hands were big and strong. He could cover both…
Mommy & Daddy Divorced & I Know Why!
Sally, age eight, sat across from her counselor. She had a death grip on the arms of her chair. Her legs swung non-stop. Fear raced across her pretty face. Why did your mother bring you to see me? Mom and Daddy divorced and I know why, she replied. Can you share the reason with me? The counselor asked. It was…
Life Lessons From a Gym
There has been a lot of basketball lately! Between Ben’s and Zack’s games, three tournaments, and the JV vs Oldies game, it’s been a little crazy! I grew up on basketball. My Dad loved to play and taught us kids all he knew. Many heated games were played on our concrete, country driveway. HORSE. 21. Or good ole 1 on…
Loving a ‘Little Cockroach’
I love Bean. She was one of Rose’s puppies. Three went to friends at work and we kept one. We kept Bean. I love that dog. A cross between a Jack Russell terrier and an unknown, random Chihuahua, Bean has crazy, wiry hair. She is not the best looking dog by any stretch of the imagination. Yet to us, she…
The End is Near
I was a naïve 16-year-old in Philadelphia. Fels Planetarium advertised a star show on the end of the world. Since I was raised in a Christian home and learned about end times, I decided to attend. The lecturer turned on the star projector. He showed how the earth is getting closer to the sun. Temperatures, he claimed, would escalate until…