The first time I saw it was in 1980. Stamped with a singular Chinese character, I recognized its meaning from the triangular yellow sign. “Yield,” I said aloud, pleased with my first translation of the ten-week trip. Eight years later, I found this same character on a page in my language school textbook. “讓 (ràng) — to let, allow, offer, or permit,” the author …
The Apostle who walked on water, testified to Jesus’ deity, and saw the Son of God transfigured was also the very one targeted for turmoil (Matthew 14:29; 16:16;17:1-4). With a violent upheaval, Satan demanded to overthrow Peter’s faith (Luke 22:31). Of course, Peter resolutely rejected this idea. His experiences with Jesus were too many. His love for Him was too …
Flecks of pink and orange winked at us between the needles of shortleaf pine. Turning off the Blue Ridge Parkway, my husband geared down our car to ascend into a higher elevation. The December sun descended quickly, and by the time we located our last turn, darkness enveloped our Honda CRV. Night falls rapidly in the Smokies. Parking on the gravel drive, we …
Standing at the window watching the downpour, I realize why I love rain so much. The sound of thunder and lightning always reminds me of my mother. As a dry land farmer’s daughter from West Texas, we always asked God for “moisture” in our family. My mother wasn’t particularly specific about how it should come. Mist counted, and the fog …
By: Shea Politte Last fall, after a big freeze, there were more birds than ever all over our front yard. After the temps dropped drastically the week before, my pretty fall pumpkins got soft and mushy. I was headed out of town, so I asked my boys to trash the pumpkins while I was gone. They strategically dropped one pumpkin …
By: Traci Payne A few years ago, I was struggling with recurring thoughts about a situation that, when dwelled upon, caused me to experience a wide array of negative emotions. The feelings of rejection, sadness, guilt, fear, and not being good enough came out of nowhere. Since I’m not a fan of such a barrage of unpredictable and spontaneous thoughts such as …
O Father, I come, not knowing how to pray but depending upon Your faithfulness to discern my ramblings. You knew that I would find myself faltering and stammering. So, You sent Your Spirit into my heart to resurrect my lifeless petitions and lift them on my behalf into Your Presence (Romans 8:26-27). Thank You. Because of virtual and unsupervised education, …
“May I set the topic today?” Here between the morning light and my first cup of coffee, the Spirit arrested me and gave me pause. “You know I love to hear your heart,” He continued. “Your highs and lows, your hopes and anxieties. But We have covered this particular ground already, haven’t we? We’ve talked about these fears extensively over …
“You came from tough stock,” my Mama always said, and I would ponder just what lineage she was referring to. I knew about livestock in our field and the tree stock used in grafting, but I recognized she meant neither. When I asked, she always pointed to photos of grim people on shabby porches surrounded by acres and acres of …
As the 7.6 earthquake vibrated through the core of our high-rise apartment, darkness prevented us from knowing the damage. We could feel the ground below rising and falling, and with every jolt, we assumed the upper floors’ weight was crushing those beneath. Fearful for our lives, we escaped down the stairwell and sleeplessly spent the rest of the night away …
