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Spring. Everywhere we look, we see renewal. Life from death. The new yellow green leaves of spring. White blossoms on the Bradford pears. And, yes, the pollen. Though Easter has passed, the resurrection song continues its melody as the life cycle begins anew.  I love to garden. When we lived in Arizona, I had a…

Kids love pizza, and I do too. The perfect chewy/crunchy crust. Pizza sauce, everything from marinara to Alfredo works for me, with a swirl of pesto. Don’t get me started on toppings. And yes, pineapple qualifies.  But how do you bring Jesus into pizza night? It’s not as hard as you think. Pizza and Smashed…

Ah, camping! I love the outdoors and when our older boys were small, we camped. A lot. We lived in Arizona at the time and could escape the valley’s 120-degree heat for the mountains and temps in the 70s. Bugs are scarce in Arizona which was a plus coming from Texas where the mosquitos can pick…

While I’ll never turn down chocolate, there’s so much more to Easter than candy and stuffed rabbits. Here are some suggestions for a better Easter basket for your grandchild: 1. Resurrection eggs: Direct focus away from the bunny and toward Jesus. There are multiple versions of resurrection eggs, but all tell the story of Easter. Plus, kids have the…

I never knew exactly when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Certainly not the date.  But I always wished I could.  It’s a significant moment and one worth celebrating. I was raised in a variety of denominations as Mom and Dad tried to hash out his Southern Baptist background with her Lutheran/Episcopalian one.…

When time comes for the Summer Olympics, my husband enjoys watching track and field. Relays always promise some drama. Why? The handoff. The trickiest part of a relay. Races have been won and lost in this short twenty-meter zone. But the stakes are higher than shiny medals when we’re talking about our faith. No matter how…

St. Patrick’s Day is coming. Are you ready? Not that we need an excuse to have fun with the grandchildren, but St. Patrick’s Day offers food, fun, and faith.  I never forget St. Patrick’s Day. It’s my aunt’s birthday and hers is the day after mine, so I always remember it. But what’s not to love? Green…

Following the Navy’s boot camp, the visit with our son Ben had been painfully short. One day. Less than twenty-four hours with the son we hadn’t seen for eight weeks. As the pageantry of boot camp graduation faded, my husband and I faced a second separation from our firstborn. Now officially a military family, we…

Lent begins February 18th. If your only familiarity with Lent is Mardi Gras, you may have a few questions.  What is Lent?  How did it start?  And why practice it?  Lent commemorates Jesus’s 40-day period of fasting and temptation in the wilderness. Historians point to the practice after the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D,…