I have a confession to make. I don’t always act my age. In fact, I can be downright childish. It’s pitiful, I know, but I had to confess that to the Lord this morning during my quiet time. I’m just grateful he forgives stupidity. If I’ve peaked your curiosity to know what brought on this … More Pity Party
I had a friend ask me recently what ministry looks like when you have young children. I think the picture says it all. My sons were six and three when this was taken in Tunisia. Raouf and I weren’t in the picture, because we’re in the house teaching a marriage class to couples, the other parents … More Families Reaching Families
Strange thoughts come to us in life, and I had one of those moments this last week. I was standing in my bedroom, looking at a picture of my late husband that hangs on the wall. It’s a picture our oldest son took of him, and it’s very good. It represents him as the pastor … More Two Faces
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 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
I’ve always been a cautious person on stairs. Maybe there’s some subconscious recollection of my mother falling with me down a flight of stairs when I was a baby. In any case, I do have a tendency to hold on to a railing, especially when descending. It’s no surprise that not every stair case has … More The offered hand
I went to support my brother. Funerals are hard for us both. That’s just the reality of the grief walk. You think you’re going to handle it, but then a word is spoken, a memory comes back and you end up sitting through someone else’s funeral only remembering the one that changed everything for you. … More Tatts and Tears
I thought I was prepared. I’d been walking most every day, not just to lose weight (which I didn’t) but to make sure my stamina was up for what I knew lay ahead. Vacation. That word does not normally conjure up a need for stamina, but I knew this one would, as we were traveling … More Sore Feet
I’ve become my father — not literally, but by things I catch myself doing. I was already a lot like him, since I take more after his side of the family. I have the looks of his mother and the introverted side he carried. Yet, it’s been in the last few years, since his death, … More Becoming like him
Sometimes my favorite conversations are those when I say nothing at all, but just sit and listen to the interaction between the participants. That’s what happened to me this past week, as I visited my husband’s family in California. It was a typical gathering of his siblings — always plenty to eat and drink, along … More I remember