You may remember me mentioning Lori Benton and the depth and detail of her award-winning historical novels in the past–I’ve been blessed indeed by both her writing and her friendship. Lori’s novels always strike me deeply with both her sensitivity in handling intercultural history and relationships, and the redemptive power in her stories. Her upcoming […]
Book Giveaway, Lori Benton
My great-uncle Glenn passed away last Friday. He truly was a GREAT uncle in every sense of the word—over six feet tall, an encyclopedia of knowledge on everything from science to literature to history to woodworking to plants, and always ready with a wisecrack, a story, or a hug. This past Easter, the last […]
animals, grieving, kittens
My little sister graduated from college last Saturday. It doesn’t seem that long since she was graduating high school—in fact, I posted about it here. She seemed so grown up then, yet now, looking back, the eighteen-year-old Maren appears so young. Today she has a B.A. in Theater Arts, with […]
The sermon series at church lately has been on, “How do we love?” Each week, the speakers have focused on loving a different group of people. When the focus has been on marriage and singleness, a couple of points especially stuck out to me. Marriage is good. Singleness is also good. Marriage […]
Enough by Jeremy Camp
Over the past few years, I’ve shared the “Journey toward Bethlehem” with you reader friends as we’ve explored what might have been in the hearts and minds of those very real people in the quiet, wondrous, incredibly human-and-divine miracle we celebrate at Christmas. The coming into this dark and sin-broken world of Jesus…for us. […]
Advent, Christmas
I was feeling good. My classes had gone well so far, things felt fine between my fiancé and me. After my last study hall for the morning, I clocked out for my break and opened Yahoo to check my email. And saw, “Breaking News: Active Shooter in San Bernardino, CA.” With beating heart, […]
Christmas, do not be afraid, mass shootings
A broken heart is a very tender thing. I was at college. Amid being a new transfer student at my university, and all the other adjustments and homesickness of new people and new classes and being away from home, I had just discovered Facebook evidence that the guy-friend I’d been building castles in the […]
Held by Natalie Grant
Last Sunday my family went for a catamaran ride. I don’t think I even knew what a catamaran was before last week. But while up on Santa Cruz for a week—thanks to generous cousins making their beach cottage available to us—my dad found that joining a group on a catamaran would […]
It was the baby that did it. I was at LAX Airport, departing for the 2013 ACFW conference. I had lots to look forward to—seeing two of my critique partners, meeting with my agent and potential publishers, a trip to visit friends in New Mexico on the way back. My first completed […]
I don’t know about you, but lately I feel like I’m constantly trying to catch my breath. Not physically, but just trying to keep on top of all the . . . stuff to do. I need to finish reading a manuscript for a dear critique partner. Then I need to read a […]
