What is the purpose of dirty laundry? Is it simply to keep us busy 24/7? I’ll never understand how, after spending all day washing and folding, that the very next morning the laundry bin is overflowing again. There must be a Laundry Fairy. She comes in the middle of the night while we’re asleep, but instead of leaving money like the precious Tooth Fairy, she whips up with her wand piles of dirty clothes. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Shelby Smith was only five years old when she lost her mother, Crystal Smith, to breast cancer. And Shelby was also very young when she first thought about becoming a breast cancer researcher.

My name is Leré Robinson. I’ve spent over 20 years helping people turn from dieting and denial to experiencing the benefits of balance and health. I believe the Lord has given me the vehicle of wellness to share the love of Christ with others. OUT OF AFRICA It’s been 12 years since we first arrived in the United States from South Africa. For th...

I HAVE A GOOD FRIEND named Ches. When introduced to anything new, he will bring it to his nose to smell it. Until recently, I thought this quite odd, but now I’m seeing he may be on to something. I was introduced to the word “quiddity” in C.S. Lewis’ autobiography, Surprised by Joy. Of his friend, A. K. Hamilton Jenkins, Lewis wrote that he “see...

I will strengthen you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.ISAIAH 41:10B I put my car in reverse to leave my best friend’s house as I do most weeks. Every time I look in the rearview mirror, I say out loud, “I am not sad. I am not sad. I am not sad.” Today was different, though. Her disease has progressed much more, and as I put the c...

OUR INTERNAL RECEIVERS pick up messages as we move through life. These “messages” shape our perception of who we think we are. Was there a certain kid who teased you as a child, a negative statement repeated from a family member or friend? Or perhaps you suffered some type of abuse. How did your mind interpret those internal messages or events i...

February, 1956 I had just arrived at the state office and was immediately sent out on my next social work case: four children, abandoned in a shack, tied up with ropes, and bleeding. When no one responds to my knock, trembling, I slowly open the front door and step inside. Gasping at the stench, I cover my mouth in disbelief. Newspapers are scat...

Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.LUKE 6:28 ESV FOR MANY PEOPLE, FORGIVENESS IS A PHENOMENON. A real mystery. It boggles the human mind. Where does one find the strength to offer such a gift of grace to another human being? The world watched in awe when forgiveness poured from the hearts of nine parishioners impacted by the...

REMEMBER THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE STORY? The Hare tore out of the starting gate like a bat out of you know where, causing him to lose the race. The tortoise moved at a much slower, steady pace and eventually won the race. Hurrying our way through life never accomplishes anything but more hurry, and in the wake of hurry, we tend to leave scatter...

THE CLOCK SCREAMED AT ME. There was no alarm, and no actual screaming, but as I looked at the numbers, I was reminded of all the times my mom used both my first and middle name. Hearing her yell, “Rebecca Anne,” meant I was in trouble. Not just any trouble, but big trouble — the kind of trouble I couldn’t charm my way out of — the kind of troubl...