What will people say about you after you die? Will they comment about how you loved your family or how successful you were? Will they note that you were a great writer or a best-selling author? Will they say you were selfless and kind? A dear friend died recently....
A few years ago, a popular television program called Monk featured a lead character consumed with perfectionism. He couldn’t prevent the murder of his wife, so he spent the rest of his life trying to control everything else. For a while, my nickname became “Mrs....
It’s a letter we’d all like to receive. The envelope bears the return address of an unfamiliar law firm. With shaky hands, we tear open the envelope. Is it a lawsuit? A collection notice? No. It’s notification of a bequest from the estate of a long-lost relative. You...
I deserve this. I earned it. It’s my right. A sense of entitlement. We see it in political debates about whether certain government benefits are a “gift” or have been earned. We see it in marriages and other relationships as individual people focus more on their...
When you read a Bible verse, how do you decide which words to focus on? For example, which would you say are the important words in the following verses: “Blessed be the LORD, my rock… My lovingkindness and my fortress, My stronghold and my deliverer; My shield and He...
I've been posting something for which I'm thankful every day this month. Today, in honor of Thanksgiving, I offer you my list: A month of thankfulness: Day 1 – Thankful for God’s sovereignty in the world…and in my life. Day 2 – Thankful that God is faithful even when...
Cows moo. Dogs bark. Frogs croak…and so do I. I wish it weren’t true, but wishing doesn’t make it so. Although comparing my singing to frogs’ croaking might even be insulting to the frogs.That’s why I often have mixed emotions whenever I read Bible verses encouraging...
Thirty years ago, I stopped a pickpocket. It happened on Nassau Street in lower Manhattan as I watched a man match his stride with the woman in front of him. When he was close enough, he reached into her coat pocket from behind and lifted out her wallet. She was...
I’m a cracked pot. Not a crackpot, although some might disagree. A cracked pot. Normally, cracked pots are dumped. Discarded as useless. Trashed as garbage. That was me – cracked and purposeless. Of course, being me, I tried to fix myself. I patched up my cracks as...
In 1997, Entertainment Weekly called him the funniest man alive. But this week, the funniest man alive was so wrought with despair that he committed suicide. Sixty-three years young, Robin Williams ended his battle with severe depression with finality. He could see...
Odor or Aroma? My backyard finally smells good again. For the past two months, an odd odor has emanated from...
Beyond the Calling There’s a lot of talk in Christian circles about being “called,” and rightly so. The Bible...
Do You Know a Late Bloomer? The amaryllis flower was a Christmas gift more than a year ago. Thankful that I...