You’ve probably heard the adage attributed to Benjamin Franklin, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Most of us know when Tax Day is. Every year, on or before April 15 (this year it was April 18 due to a Washington, D.C....


What Are You Living For?
Each year on April 13, I stop to ask the same question. I look back on the past twelve months, look forward to the coming year, and ask myself: “Does my life reflect what I claim to be living for?” It’s a question I do not answer casually. Our time on earth is...
Soul Mate
I’m a hopeless romantic. You probably know the type. I don’t enjoy a book or movie unless it has the proverbial happy ending. I appreciate it when hubby opens the door for me or holds out my chair at the table. Yes, I’m a hopeless romantic married to my soul mate…or...
Identity Confusion
Who are you? What is your gender? Your ethnicity? Nationality? There was a time, in the not too distant past, when people accepted that certain physical characteristics are unalterable. Of course, we’ve always used tools and techniques to present our physical...
Connect or Disconnect?
Come out and be separate. No. Go out and be salty. Connect or disconnect? Which is it? As our culture distances itself from its Judeo-Christian roots, Christians are finding themselves more and more isolated by their values from the mainstream. Christian holidays are...
Who Do You Want to Be Like?
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....
The Plague of Perfectionism
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....
Royal Inheritance
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...
A Sense of Entitlement
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...
He is Mine
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...
Receive Ava’s weekly blog
posts & occasional
newsletters in your inbox!
You May Also Like
Called, Loved, and Kept
Called, Loved, and Kept There’s a lot of talk in Christian circles about being “called,” and rightly so. The...
Is God Your Co-pilot?
Is God Your Co-pilot? You may have seen the classic bumper sticker announcing, “God is my co-pilot!” When it...
Is Christianity Irrelevant?
Is Christianity Irrelevant? Is Christianity irrelevant? If you’re a Bible-believing follower of Christ, you’ve...