Using the Side Door
A while ago, my mentor challenged me to think about what might happen after I die—more specifically, what heaven might look like. Although middle-aged, I never pondered this mystery before. When I was young, I saw myself as indestructible, protected by the solid shell ... I edged to the front of my folding chair, bobbing and weaving my head to find a view through the heads in front of me. “Do you have a child there?” an older woman sitting next to me asked with a slight accent as she ... I love face-to-face conversations with friends—long-time friends or brand-new friends. I do not prefer large social gatherings, mingling with people I barely know and engaging in shallow conversations. I also love extended time alone with a good book.
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There are many different varieties of trees on our 120-acre homestead, along with crops and brush, a bit of pasture and a spring-fed creek that flows year round from a pond that never freezes over. And don’t get me talking about the diversity of wildlife that thrives ... How do I find peace in the chaos? It’s a question that I’ve pondered over the last few months as my family has started on multiple new journeys and begun to fulfill God’s call on our life. Have you ever owned something that was a limited edition? The numbered painting, hand-signed record, first edition print, or maybe a cereal box with a special face or event. Whatever the item, it’s valuable and feels worth whatever price of time or resources you paid ... Years ago, I had a delightful life coach and mentor by the name of Dayle. She encouraged me to make a personal development plan for that season of my life. Being a planner by nature, I was excited to show her what I thought was a well-balanced plan. She took one look ... Those who shake their family tree may be pelted with details they’d rather not know. The blight I encountered in my particular grove was cancer—multiple varieties, hereditary strains. Suddenly I feel a deep kinship with the unending parade of friends and acquaintances ... We’ve heard about her, sewing late into the night by a lamp that does not go out, gorgeous toned arms planting a vineyard, a prominent husband, self-designed purple clothing, and children that get up in the morning and praise her. All of that sounds like an unattainable ... When I was thirty-two, there was only one thing missing from my life, but that one thing seemed so important that the lack of it darkened all the other good. I was in a great career—I was teaching theology and Bible to college students and taking them ... I was nine years old when it happened, peering out the window of our second-story apartment in Monrovia, Liberia. The multiplex we lived in was in a good area, popular with internationals; the families on the top story ... I trade my shorts for blue jeans, even though it is 90 degrees inside and out. It has been so long since I wore long pants, I’ve forgotten what it feels like. I print out a short note, translated by Google into Arabic. I arrange a few freshly baked cookies on ... “I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that it is I, The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.”
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You wake up late and rush through the morning. You haven’t had your coffee, cereal is all over the floor, and the children are screaming. It’s hard to be thankful. An opportunity you really wanted didn’t work out. ...
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Hospitality Flipped Upside Down
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All Are Welcome
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Finding Peace in Chaos
Finding Balance in Limitations
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Finding Balance in Seasons
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5 Books that Breathe Faith into the Cancer Journey
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Is the Proverbs 31 Woman for Real?
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When I Wanted Someone to Complete Me
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Can We Be Grateful for Suffering?
Lift Your Perspective, Change Your Life
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