Over the last few months, we have had the privilege of having a foreign exchange student in our home. It is funny how you start to see entirely “normal” things in everyday American life in a new way as we see them through her eyes. Explaining phrases that we think nothing of but actually lack any logical explanation has made …
New Beginnings by Kate Hodges
Life is full of new beginnings. Some are big, like the birth of a baby and some are small like the first blooming of a flower. Every morning when we open our eyes, it is the beginning of a new day, a new chance to make a difference. We just celebrated Easter not long ago and the songs are still …
Chasing God’s Blessing
Are any of you currently asking God for direction? I’m at the end of my contract with Waterbrook Multnomah, so I’m praying about what to write next. And it’s not just about which story—it’s about which characters will speak in the stories. Where do I begin and end the story? What biblical events do I include, and what historical events …
Fear Factor by Klicia Thompson
“…And so I found myself, shaking, slightly sobbing, standing on the deck of the 50th floor of the Rio hotel in Vegas wondering how I could have possible gotten myself into this.” You see, each year, my husband’s company spends the better part of a week in Las Vegas, Nevada for annual meetings and this year, we decided to take …
Grief That’s Too Much To Bear by Angie Arndt
My favorite aunt was sick, but I couldn’t come to the hospital because she didn’t want me to see her this way. I laughed in spite of my anxiousness. Just like Aunt Polly. I called daily to see how she was. My uncle kept repeating the same song: “About the same.” I asked for prayer at my church and from …
A New Hope by Kate Hodges
“A New Hope” In my household of teenagers, this brings thoughts of a galaxy far, far away and an epic battle of good versus evil. Having grown up in the 80’s, my own thoughts turn in that direction. The kids had to get their movie tastes from somewhere, right? But now, smack into my middle years, the phrase has taken …