Friends & Family
Family and friends—we love them! . . . but sometimes it’s not so easy to love them. What does God say about being a parent, family dysfunction, happy marriages, divorce, difficult people, forgiveness, and much more?
Toxic friendships
I attended a leadership conference as a senior in high school. The speaker focused greatly on the importance of friendships. He kept repeating, “Show…
Blessings, not burdens
I was at the grocery store with my three kiddos when the cashier scanned the three bottles of wine I was buying for a…
Cabin fever
Winter in the north is hard on machinery and people. Winter stops being crisp really fast. Ice-cold things grind slowly if they grind at…
Thanksgiving memoir
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of…
Jesus feels your pain
Gerdi was invited to spend a weekend with her college friends, but she didn’t want to go. She had breast cancer, had lost all…
To be at peace again
Some of the most comforting verses of the Bible are found in Acts 15:36-40: Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go…
You get the gold
In 2018, for the first time in 20 years, the U.S. women’s hockey team earned a gold medal. Now, I’m a sap for just…
Laugh a little
Life can be so serious. There’s a lot of important stuff going on, important things we need to be doing, and important matters we…
A father who broke the rules
I’m a rule keeper. A rule giver. That’s a confession more than a boast. I reflect on the many rules I laid down for…
Dear Dad
Dear Dad, I miss you every day. Your prayer rings in my ears: “Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord” (Psalm 130:1)….
A compassionate Father
There have been bad parents ever since sin grew roots in the Garden of Eden. Parents who get more pleasure from a private vice…
Two tips for church
If you’re part of a local gathering of Christians, how could you make your church even better? Paul encourages growth when he writes, “Brothers…