He was the speaker, I was the writer. The trick was getting his speaking onto paper. This was one of my objectives in my first novels — putting into story what was happening on a daily basis with the man I married. Then our boss brought it to a whole new level. During a conference … More Published: The Writing Journey #2
One of the hard things about the Christian life, and one that the world doesn’t get, is praying in faith. Two things are important to remember in this: The prayers are lifted up to the God of all creation through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are not praying in blind … More Worth the Effort
The year was 1993. We were living in Damascus, Syria. I look up from my computer and out my window, thinking how long ago that seems. Yet the memory is clear. Her name was Kaokub. In English, it meant planet. I always thought that was a funny name to name a child, but some thirty years … More New Year, New Life
I’m a writer, which, in the literal sense, means I know how to put words on paper or screen. I’ve been this way since I was young, keeping diaries as a girl, prayer journals as a new Christian, and one of those students teachers liked, because I actually enjoyed essay questions. The only area my … More The Writing Journey
Ten years ago today we left. Raouf had preceded us on this journey, so I was alone with my two boys and an unruly Egyptian dog. We almost didn’t make it out, but in the end, they let us on the plane, dog and all. We said goodbye to Egypt, but we also said goodbye … More Leaving the field
I know, it sounds like a deep subject or modern-day jargon. Who goes around talking about circumstantial awareness, anyway? Yet, we’re always warning our kids to be aware of what’s going on around them in order to keep them safe from predators, so why can’t we think of it as adults? I ask myself, am … More Circumstantial Awareness
I could never be a door-to-door salesman. I don’t like facing strangers or trying to sell things. That kind of work is way out of my comfort zone. Then again, sometimes God reminds you that to move forward, you have to step out of that circle of comfort. That’s what I’m doing tomorrow. No, I’m … More Knocking on doors
“Where were you last night? Who were you with? What were you doing? Why did you get home so late? Why didn’t you call?” Remember those days? I’ve had my share. My parents had a few rules and one was that, if we were going to be out later than our allotted time, we had … More Interrogation
It was a critical issue. We were deep in prayer. Would God hear? Would he answer? He did! What a relief and reminder of his goodness. The printer and monitor were released into the grateful hands of our colleagues. It was Syria, 1993. What makes me write about such an issue? I wonder that myself, … More The Captured Released
I could barely talk with her. We spoke different languages, but in the short time I had with my mother-in-law, God gave me glimpses into the life of a woman of influence. She had no position in this world other than that of being a widow and mother. She lost her husband early in life, … More A Woman of Influence
