Christine Wentzel
Never give up
Irene came of age during the Great Depression—a young mother before WWII. Her marriage was fraught with neglect and abuse as she raised her…
Speed bumps
Ugh! Speed bumps. They’re everywhere. It was bad enough when they put them in parking lots. Now they’re on the narrow streets of neighborhoods…
Go to church
Addicted to something? Go to church. Have a potty mouth? Go to church. Workaholic? Go to church. Parental issues? Go to church. Hate anyone?…
Cry for a moment
“Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Oh, the bittersweet joy this sentence gives! We draw comfort knowing Jesus was emotional enough to cry. His pain was…
Risk factor
“I’m not judging you; I’m just sayin’ . . .” is a trendy, risk-adverse attempt to vent one’s opinion without the added bonus of…
A Valentine from Jesus
Valentine’s Day . . . bleh! My first experience with love’s missed arrow happened in high school. In the cafeteria, a Valentine’s booth took…
Resolve
The ticktock countdown finally reached the midnight hour. While the echo of “Auld Lang Syne” burned off in the rising sun of the dawn,…
The weakest link
“A chain is only as strong as its weakest link” is a proverb inspired from an 18th-century book by Thomas Reid. Ideally, God’s visible…
Public confession
It’s one thing to repent of our wrongdoings to our all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present God. In light of this, it kind of makes it…
God always answers
The news headline read, “Answered prayers!” Does that well-intentioned declaration really testify to the completely awesome work of God? Or does it lead someone…
After the feasting
What do you suppose happened after the feasting for the lost son’s return? In Jesus’ parable in Luke chapter 15, we learn it wasn’t…
Thankful for the thorn
“I begged the Lord three times to take it away from me. But he told me: ‘My kindness is all you need. My power…