One of the first verses I memorized as a young child was Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” I remember hearing a pilot talk about what this verse meant to him as he traveled around the world. I don’t recall his exact words. I think he may have referenced how the …
Jerry and I love to go to the beach. Even if he can’t get down to the water’s edge, seeing and hearing the waves roll and crash puts him in one of his two happy places (you’ll have to ask him if you want to know what the other is). I enjoy jumping the waves, even though it makes me tired. …
“Do you want to be healed?” That sounds like a silly question to ask someone disabled who has been lying on a mat on the ground for thirty-eight years. John 5:1-15 tells a well-loved narrative often used when talking about disability, the healing at the Pool of Bethesda. Thirty-eight years! That’s …
Read Matthew 14:22-33 In this passage, the disciples had some good reasons to be experiencing fear: They had a long day of ministry and were tired. Jesus was not with them; He’d gone off alone to pray. They were in their boat far from shore, and a severe storm came. Winds and waves buffeted the …
“But Mom, I need that now!” “Dad, you always tell me to wait a few more minutes.” “Honey, how much longer will you be?” Are statements like these heard around your house? Maybe they increased over the last few days as family members anxiously prepared for and awaited arrival at Breakaway! I often …
Father’s Day is just another day for me. I don’t think I’m alone in this feeling. All the fuss and to-do feels like too much. Don’t get me wrong, I like getting presents. Everyone does, and if they say they don’t, they’re lying. And I will die on that hill. This feeling, for me, stems from a deeper …
In the beginning, I always thought Oliver’s diagnosis was something I just had to get through. If I could push a little harder, try a little more, find the right therapy or the right tool, then one day it would be over, or at least a lot easier, and I could finally breathe. But even five years …
Imagine . . . You and your family fly thousands of miles from home for a long-planned and long-awaited vacation. But instead of checking in at your hotel, you go immediately to the hospital for a family member. You’re far from home and in a new area where you don’t know anyone. This is exactly what …
I have never been someone who felt medically savvy. I didn’t know the language, the systems, or how to advocate inside a world of specialists and insurance battles. So when God gave me a son who seemed determined to defy the medical field—especially when it comes to “rare” diagnoses—I was thrown …
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been discussing anxiety in our Bible studies at Noah’s Landing. This topic came up because more than one participant shared that they struggle with anxiety. Many of us do. It was a big surprise to them to learn that the Bible speaks about anxiety. We looked at Psalm …