(2 minutes, 43 seconds) I met a new friend not long ago—one of those rare, instant connections that defies explanation. Kelly told me that her earliest memories as a little girl were of boldly approaching people, looking up into their faces, studying their features, and wondering if they might be…
Mom’s Hands
(2 minutes, 3 seconds) It would have been my mom’s 86th birthday this week. As a very young girl I sat next to my mother on Sunday mornings on the hard wooden pew of our country church. I remember two things about sitting beside her: first, her awesome fur coat,…
Beautiful, Everlasting Love
(1 minute, 43 seconds) Nothing stirs my heart quite like hearing sisters and brothers bear testimony to the goodness and grace of God in their lives. It’s a joy like no other to be the recipient of the sharing of another’s faith journey. While my husband and I were working…
My Soul’s Whisper
(1 minute, 18 seconds) I have the opening verses of Psalm 18 framed and hanging in our dining room—a central place in our home because it’s a Psalm that centers me. “I love you, O Lord, my strength.The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.He is my…
Never a Zonk from God
1 minute, 28 seconds Do you remember the television game show Let’s Make a Deal? Selected members of the studio audience, called “traders,” made deals with the host, Monty Hall. Each trader was offered a prize and then given the choice of keeping it or exchanging it for a different…
When No One Is Looking
1 minute, 29 seconds When our girl graduated from Nursing School her favorite professor gave her class of new nurses as well as those gathered to celebrate one last word of instruction.Without pomp or circumstance, this beloved teacher offered this final nugget of golden advice: “Always do the right thing….
What Are You Holding Out of the Water?
(1 minute, 11 seconds) It was my joy to witness several baptisms recently. One after another, saved believers stepped down into the water, professing their trust in Jesus and their faith in Him alone for the forgiveness of their sins and their desire to surrender fully to the Lordship of…
This One, She’s Mine
The Curb Where My Story Pivoted Forty years ago, I stood on a curb at Washington Dulles International Airport, hailing my first taxi ever. A woman named Jeanette stood on the same curb near me, seeking a cab to—as it turned out—the same hotel as me. Hopping into the car…
Be a Purple Hoodie Person
Don’t We All Need a Little Enthusiastic Encouragement Sometimes? (1 minute, 23 seconds) The well-known musical film “The Greatest Showman,” released in 2017, was almost never produced. This film struggled to get “greenlit”—a term in the film industry meaning receiving permission to proceed with a project. After a whopping nine…
Lemonade From Lemons
(1 minute, 31 seconds) Jan Karon taught me how to make real-deal lemonade from scratch. Her recipe for lemonade is to die for: freshly squeezed lemon juice, lots of purified, clean water, and a little sugar that is first cooked into a syrup on the stovetop. You’ll never go back…