When we built our home, it stood on little more than a muddy, empty lot at the end of a gravel road. We needed grass, trees, and shrubs to match the surrounding Oregon foothills. As I got out my lawn tools and set to work, I thought of the first garden…

June’s eyes were fixed on the gray car beside her. She had to change lanes to exit the highway, but each time she tried to overtake it, the other driver seemed to speed up too. Finally, she managed to cut in front. Smug in her moment of triumph, …

When theologian Todd Billings received a diagnosis of incurable blood cancer, he described his imminent mortality as like lights in distant rooms turning off or flickering. “As the father of a one- and three-year-old, I tended to think of the nex…

One day at church, I greeted a visiting family. I knelt next to their little girl’s wheelchair, introduced her to my service dog, Callie, and complimented her pretty pink glasses and boots. Though she was nonverbal, her smile told me she enjoyed …

One of the great hymn writers of all time, Isaac Watts, wrote “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” In penning its lyrics, he used the poetic device of paradox to show a contrast in themes: “my richest gain I count but loss” and &…

Kim settled in by the window, bag packed, waiting eagerly for her daddy to arrive. But as the bright day darkened and then turned to night, her enthusiasm faded. She realized Daddy wasn’t coming—again.
Kim’s parents were divorced, an…

“You know Jesus loves you. He really loves you.” Those were the last words of John Daniels. Just seconds after he’d given a homeless man money and shared those parting words, he was struck by a car and instantly killed. The printed pr…

“If Jesus were physically seated at the table with us this morning, what would you want to ask Him?” Joe inquired of his children at breakfast. His boys thought of their toughest questions. They decided they wanted to ask Jesus the most dif…

After viewing world-class ceramic sculptures at an art museum, I was invited to create my own “pinch pot” from air-dry clay. I spent two hours shaping a little bowl, engraving patterns, and painting. The result of all my hard work was under…

With a crumbling kitchen and sagging floors, our house needed renovation. After large sections of it were demolished, builders began digging a new foundation. Then things got interesting.
As the builders dug, shovel loads of broken plates, 1850s-era s…