A married couple came to me after Sunday school. They had eaten supper with one of our students, and they were troubled. “This little girl shouldn’t even know about the things she was telling us,” the wife said. The husband agreed and asked the girl’s name again so that they could pray for her. BothContinue reading “Acquainted with Grief”
Tag Archives: Joy
“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”
The Blindness of Advent
Listen HERE Fourteen years ago, my grandmother gifted us an ornate advent calendar. It is shaped like a house, and each door is numbered. She also sent little ceramic animals that I remember from my own childhood. “Put one in each door,” she wrote in her letter, “and then, each day you can see whoContinue reading “The Blindness of Advent”
Growing Popcorn
Listen HERE It takes 100 days for popcorn to grow. I planted the seeds in May. I watched the stalks grow throughout June and July. By August 25th, the yellow ears were ready to harvest. My kids helped me take the kernels off about fifty of the cobs, and I couldn’t wait to fry themContinue reading “Growing Popcorn”
Filled with Glory
Listen HERE Have you ever had a keylime bismarck at Devils Lake Doughnuts? If you thought perfectly puffed pastry rolled in powdered sugar couldn’t be improved on, then you haven’t gotten to the keylime pudding in the middle. When the Apostle Peter wrote to the believers in exile, he reminded them that they should “rejoiceContinue reading “Filled with Glory”
Accidental Lent, On Purpose Resurrection
Listen HERE Some years, I am very intentional about how I will grow closer to Jesus during the Lenten season. I make elaborate plans about what I will fast from and which devotionals I will read. Perhaps the memories of celebrating Lent during my Catholic school days impress me with the importance of being satisfiedContinue reading “Accidental Lent, On Purpose Resurrection”
Rooted in Memories
I can tell Christmas is coming by the flood of magazines in my mailbox. Everyone wants a little piece of my holiday spending, and they try all kinds of tricks to persuade me to buy their merchandise. This week, a magazine boasted personalized needlepoint stockings, just like grandma used to make, alongside the words, “ThinkContinue reading “Rooted in Memories”
Significant Secret
James’s Joy
One of the last things Jesus told His disciples before His crucifixion was, “When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow that her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also youContinue reading “James’s Joy”
Life, Death, and Charlotte’s Web
When author E.B. White recorded the audiobook version of his classic children’s story Charlotte’s Web, it took him seventeen tries to record the scene where Charlotte, the spider, dies. He would begin weeping. The producer would stop the recording. They would take a walk outside and then come back and try it again. Seventeen tries.Continue reading “Life, Death, and Charlotte’s Web”
Sarah Dixon Young 