What a wonderful privilege it is to praise our God side by side with a group of believers. Not only is it a privilege; it brings blessings with it. The time we spend in church singing praises to our God serves important purposes. It creates a sense of unity and connection with our fellow worshippers.

At the risk of sounding a bit over the top, I will confess that for me, the most essential response to life’s aggravating, disappointing, or down-right sad moments is prayer.  Not the formal kind of prayer you find in a prayer book, but a time of talking to God in the raw so to speak.

The very thought of a long, tangled traffic jam can make our blood pressure rise. We’ve all experienced them. We’ve rounded a bend only to find cars stuck one behind another as far as the eye can see, testing our patience and making us late. We clutch the steering wheel to stay alert ready for

 It is always surprising to suddenly discover a ring of mushrooms where there was only grass a few hours ago. In our five years living here, there were never any mushrooms in this area until this week when this one sprouted up. A goggle search said they can appear in an area that was seeded

I wonder when and who conceived the first idea of building a museum to preserve decades and decades of art. I’m glad for museums and places that display lovely creations from bygone days. We may not always understand or appreciate the works we see; but our philosophy, our outlooks on life, our lives are enriched

I remember when I was little carrying my dolls outside and playing house under a triangle of three red bud trees with their broad heart-shaped leaves providing a measure of privacy. Maybe that contributed to my love of trees. Today our home is surrounded by beautiful trees, gorgeous green foliage providing shade and beauty. The

Whether large or small, families are a blessing designed by God. Families can serve as cheerleaders for the children. Loyal families provide a support group for the adults. Strongly connected families can provide lots of fun, laughter, and precious memories for everyone. In our time of easy communication via cell phones, texts, or even old-fashioned

Little children don’t conceal their moods.  Their faces pout, or tears flow, or they use various kinds of verbal protests, including yelling or screams to proclaim their mood to anyone within eye or earshot. Adults can be more discrete, or not, according to the amount of self-disciple or effect they are trying to achieve either

Suddenly a flurry of dings on my phone signaled incoming texts containing an urgent need for prayer support from a friend which led to immediate prayer responses from a group of people who care about one another with all their hearts.  As well as expressing support, sometimes the group text dings the arrival of a

When I was a child, the word mending often meant my mother or grandmother was using a needle and thread to mend some garment that needed to be fixed before wearing it again. Perhaps a rip needed to be sewed up, a button replaced. or a patch sewn on the knee of a pair of