Religion

I love getting up early. It’s the part of the day that I have the most control over. The phone hasn’t started ringing and no text notifications are going off. It’s just me, my breakfast and my morning devotional time. Breakfast is simple–a piece of whole grain toast with a slight dab of preserves and…

Have you ever pondered or asked yourself, is it my imagination or are things seemingly getting worse—meaning people’s conduct. One day, my wife and I were sitting at a traffic light, when suddenly, this car rushed past us so rapidly that the force of its wind shook our vehicle. Not long after this, three other…

It was an important picture. After all, it was going on the cover of my first book. So the top I chose to wear had to represent me as an author. I had learned from French Chic Expert, Marie-Anne Lecoeur, that French women–whose fashion I greatly admire–keep it simple with a touch of something unique.…

Recently I had a few things slip into my life that were unpleasant. And, to be honest, I knew how they got through the cracks. I had not been quite as fervent, tenacious, intense and watchful, as I typically am. Why? Busyness, distractions and unexpected things pulled at my time leaving me a bit depleted.…

Last week was my birthday in sobriety. I’ve been sober for twenty-nine years. For someone of Irish descent, that’s a long time. Nevertheless, my journey to get to where I am today has been long and difficult, but not because of alcohol itself. I no longer crave it. I lost the craving many years ago,…

Thinking back about the early days when Fred and I were pastoring a small church, I remembered the times when I felt like I was just doing the job. It was a terrible feeling. I remember cleaning the church, sweeping the floors, scrubbing the stairway, and wondering if anybody knew or cared that I was…

Saturday morning, I was up before everyone else.  While humming in the kitchen, I furiously whipped up pancake batter for the dozen students from a nearby Bible school who were spending the weekend with us.  They were helping us remodel our 100-year-old church building.   My four-year-old was tugging on my shirt and the frying…

Life as we know it has changed, some for the better and some for the worse.  Unfortunately, we have entered what some may say are dark days.  The future looks bleak and worrisome.  Threats of war and violence seem just around the corner.  These threats come while many are still suffering from the trauma of…

Are all fears monsters?  The answer is no.   Sometimes a fear can be a Wise Warrior showing up to protect you.  Generally, we hear that when you feel fear and you make a major decision out of that fear, it will normally not be the best decision to be making at the time.  I…

He made it.  Jairus had struggled just to get to the right place and when he got there; he took a sigh of relief.   He just hoped it wasn’t too late.  Jairus took hold of the hand of Jesus and asked him to go to his home, where his daughter was sick.  “My daughter…