Tag Archives: Children

Garden Saints

I don’t know what sparked my mischievous mind the first time, but there was only one answer when my grandmother asked if I’d put mud on the head of her garden saint. The damp potting soil fit the curvature of my chubby hand, and it sat delightfully atop the head of the stone saint, armsContinue reading “Garden Saints”

Playground Philosophy

Vacation Bible School is not for the faint of heart, and I am very thankful for the army of people who helped do two in my community last week. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time supervising the playground. It led me to contemplate the deep differences between poetic justice and karma, evenContinue reading “Playground Philosophy”

Impoverished

There are many kinds of poverty. Several weeks ago, an eleven year old boy told me that when he was younger, there had been no food in the house. He had seen puppies nursing and had realized that they were receiving sustenance. He was so hungry that he had fed alongside those puppies from theContinue reading “Impoverished”

Not for the Faint of Heart

I teach a children’s Sunday School. It is not for the faint of heart, and not just because you might get hit with a spitball or handed a “cootie.” (“Could you squish this, teacher? I found it on my sister’s head.”) Last semester, we worshiped by singing a song called, “Sing Wherever I Go.” SomeContinue reading “Not for the Faint of Heart”

Timeless

This article first appeared in the Devils Lake Journal August 28, 2025. In a conversation with my favorite three-year-old, I said, “I will come pick you up at five o’clock.” She promptly reversed the camera on the phone she was holding so that I could see the digital clock in her mom’s car. “Look Grandma,”Continue reading “Timeless”

How Long, O Lord?

I have a Whisperer at Bible Club. She sidles up to me, cupped hands around her mouth, ready to whisper shocking details about any of the other little kids sitting nearby. This week, it was, “Sarah, did you know that [so and so] said he was going to steal [so and so’s] bike?!” “We won’tContinue reading “How Long, O Lord?”

Carrying the Banner

wp-1753043391164 I love that movie from the nineties called, “Newsies.” Homeless, streetsmart boys find employment selling newspapers, and they often do it by embellishing the headlines. Their theme is that they are “carrying the banner.”  I thought of the movie, and its catchy song, this week at backyard Bible club. The kids in my neighborhoodContinue reading “Carrying the Banner”

Survey Says…

I only see that old game show “Family Feud” now in doctors offices, but I watched a lot of it as a child.  I remember the host saying in his dramatic voice, “Survey says…” while all eyes turned to the results on the screen. Every summer, I get a general survey of what is troublingContinue reading “Survey Says…”

“Letters from Father Christmas” : A Review for the Advent Season

In 1920, a small boy asked his father a simple question: “What is Father Christmas like and where does he live?”  In answer, the father began the tradition of writing a newsy letter from Father Christmas to his children, detailing the preparations for the holiday, the past year’s events, and other fun tidbits from theContinue reading ““Letters from Father Christmas” : A Review for the Advent Season”