Darkness welcomed me as I walked through the door. Pausing to allow my eyes to adjust to the red low-wattage glow, I smiled, anticipating the day. Although working in the darkroom sometimes meant no light at all, I liked the discoveries I knew lay ahead. Chemicals, wash, paper—all were light-sensitive but the best images resulted from the dark. The room was a …
“In the crushing, In the pressing, You are making new wine.” (Lyrics to Brooke Ligertwood’s “New Wine”) Personally, I cringe at the thought of the crushing. Pressing hurts the fruit. So, given the choice, I prefer to avoid the process. Yet, as I ponder the operation of wine production, there is no product without a winepress. As I researched, I found …
Even from my balcony, I could tell that the pockets of seawater standing along the beach were shallow and placid. Stretches of sand separated these tiny, sunken pools, which dotted the shoreline in every low-lying area. These modest puddles attracted families laden with sunscreen, lounge chairs, and chubby-faced toddlers. Further out, where the Celtic Sea lapped at Combesgate Beach, the more adventurous played …
The piercing photograph, only ordinary in size, stares down upon me as I write. A casual observer mistakes the tabby coat pattern for that of a common, house cat. But if you stare into the penetrating eyes, they lock with your own. You startle to realize someone has photographed a young bobcat. That someone, my friend Traci, lived to tell …
Nineteenth-century missionary Andrew Murray is one of my favorite authors. My high school mentor, Bobbie Trull introduced me to him by suggesting we read together his best known work, “With Christ in the School of Prayer.” Evidently Bobbie learned to write out prayers from Andrew Murray as every chapter ended with a prayer. As a sixteen-year-old girl, these prayers greatly …
“Have you ever noticed how ‘Bible women’ become more demanding and difficult as they age?” My friend’s off-the-cuff question lingered with me for days. Although I’d never thought about it, I unfortunately knew plenty of instances in which this was true. My memories were filled with elderly Christian women who were never pleased. How could I assure that …
Drawing his neck upward, he wrenched his mouth open in a final, silent cry — the last gesture he would ever make. The bull’s severed head, pooling now in it’s own blood, stood upright by the stump of his neck in the dusty arena. The nearby ritual of the Malaysian priest was lost to me. All I could see …
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Mark announced. “Sewage was coming out the roof downspout!” The neighbors across the street had been experiencing some blockage in their septic system, so being the DIY types that they are, they had rented a sewage “snake” and were trying to alleviate the problem. It ended up that the obstacle was out …
I’ve always grappled with just what faith means. Yes, it is “believing God”, but yet there seems to be much more richness to the meaning. Today, we are going to look at some faith definitions. Some are mine. Some are the treasured thoughts of others. “Faith is submission to the persuasion of God.” “Faith is simply surrender; …
Talking about waiting before Him is okay. But maybe we should just put it into practice. Push aside some time to be still before the Lord today. Give Him your thoughts and emotions, then slowly allow the words below to wash over you. Don’t rush the time, but listen to how He speaks. May the Father …
