Author Ava Pennington
Author Ava Pennington

Real Life…In Community

It happened again. I had spent the afternoon on the computer, working on some projects. Then I did a quick scroll through Facebook to catch the latest news. What I saw were beautiful photos of a double rainbow over our town. And I had missed it. Sort of reminds me of...

read more

Till Death Do Us Part

Commitment. It has ten letters, but it’s often treated like a four-letter word. I may be over-generalizing, but people seem reluctant to make commitments these days. Maybe it’s because life appears increasingly uncertain. News reports shout about terrorist attacks and...

read more

Are You Independent?

The fireworks have already begun in my neighborhood. But I suspect the revelers are more interested in making lots of noise than in celebrating the upcoming anniversary of our nation’s independence.    Independence. It’s in our country’s DNA. As American citizens,...

read more

Say No to the Dress?

June is the month of brides and weddings. So it seems appropriate to choose this month to confess that one of my guilty pleasures is watching Say Yes to the Dress on the TLC network. I enjoy watching brides select their wedding dresses, and try to predict which gown...

read more

Eternal Contributions

Mother’s Day is over, but for some, the emotions –happy or sad – linger. I recently spent some time with a young friend who is struggling with her role in the family and in the Church. Her feelings were exacerbated by the calendar – Mother’s Day happened to be the...

read more

Christmas Memories

Putting up our Christmas decorations is a simple enough task. Bring in the boxes from the garage and spread their contents around the house. It should take a day at most. But it’s not so simple for me because of the memories evoked by the decorations and ornaments......

read more

Loved…Times Two

Everyone has a favorite piece of relationship advice. In honor of my 34th wedding anniversary coming up in a few days, I thought I’d share a few relationship quotes: “No matter how long you have been waiting, the man God has for you will surpass your expectations. You...

read more

This is Not Our Home

Three of my friends lost their mother this past weekend. Three times in two days, I received a message saying John or Pat or Sonia’s mother died. These three losses remind me that death cuts through all the things we think are important, and bares what is truly...

read more

Meet the Tates

Have you heard of the Tate family? They can be found in almost every organization… Dic Tate wants to run everything. Ro Tate tries to change everything. Agi Tate stirs up trouble whenever possible. Irri Tate always lends him a hand. Hesi Tate and Vegi Tate pour cold...

read more

Who Do You Remember?

Quick – who was the winner of the: -       2010 Nobel Peace Prize? -       2009 Miss America pageant?          -       2008 summer Olympics archery gold medal? Now identify: -       the high school teacher who motivated you to be your best? -       the Sunday school...

read more

Receive Ava’s weekly blog
posts & occasional 
newsletters in your inbox!

Search by category:

You May Also Like

Grace Givers

Grace Givers

Grace Givers   I’ve been thinking lately about stewardship. That’s not a word we hear very often anymore. It’s...

Ugly, Horrific, Colorblind Sin

Ugly, Horrific, Colorblind Sin

Colorblind sin   Sin is ugly. Horrific. Heartbreaking. And colorblind. It’s not white. It’s not black. The murder...