The music was different here. Unlike the staticky radio in Daddy’s Ford, this music was living and active, piercing my nine-year-old heart and energizing my soul. We didn’t just listen to the music; we sang along, from the youngest Sunbeam to the oldest member of the Brotherhood. This was the wooden church of my childhood. I knew this place well …
I may be the worst cook in my bloodline, but it’s not because of the lack of aprons. The womenfolk of my people believe in them religiously. Every sepia picture from our past is proof of this conviction. My grandmother wore an apron for her granddaughter’s birthday photo, and my great-grandmother had one in her hand in the only surviving …
By: Kandy Persall Eulogies. Not usually a source of joy for most people. But, as I wrote the tribute recently for one of my favorites, I glimpsed the power of a steadfast life. I’d been writing this eulogy for years, first by tucking away conversations and then sealing them with pen and ink. It helps put syllables on a page when …
By: Kandy Persall Ever since I can remember, Ray Tinney has been in my life. He married my sister the autumn after my first birthday, and my devotion to him began. When I was eight, a little event lifted that devotion to pure infatuation. It happened one Saturday morning after my friend Scarlet spent the night with me. At that …
There is more to Christ than I wanted. In the early days of our relationship, I basked in the gentle qualities like His love, peace, and comfort (1 John 4:18; Ephesians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 1:3). He and I would go on dates where He proved to be my Joy, Hope, and Help. My quiet times with Him were like picnics …
Prophecy. End times. Christ’s return. All hot topics of mystery and debate in the church today. Fresh prophecies emerge weekly. Educated men and women passionately postulate contradictory views, yet all have some validity. So who is truly speaking truth? Which eschatological view is most biblical? What should we believe about these last days? I confess to you, I often don’t …
“His faithfulness is a shield” (Psalm 91:4). These words from the Psalmist continued to stir in my mind. “His faithfulness is a shield.” For years, part of my spiritual armor has been to take up “the shield of faith” to extinguish the enemy’s missiles of doubt and deceit. But all too often, this shield constructed by …
