Paul emphasized the importance of praise in several of his letters to the churches. And especially praise mingled with prayer. In the book of Philippians, he speaks of the peace that comes as a result of praying and praising God in all things. In the Old Testament, there are some […]
Sometimes, it is really hard for me to look in the mirror and feel beautiful. I look and see the wrong weight, the puffy eyes or the blemishes or whatever else it is that detracts from my definition of attractive. Strangely, though, these are not things that I look for […]
Seventy times seven. In a day. That’s a lot of forgiving to keep track of. It would be so much easier if Jesus said we only have to forgive our brother seven times in a day. Or forever. Then again, as I think about it, I can’t remember a time […]
The campground was almost completely deserted. Granted, it was the end of September in the Cascade Mountains but we didn’t see anything too outrageous about the fact we were having one last weekend for the year. My husband found a huge chunk of oak and that evening we had a […]
As I listened to my dad’s coworkers share their experiences in working with him, I was a little stunned. Though this was a celebration of his retirement, they could have easily been talking about me. He prefers talking in person instead of over the phone, even if it means walking […]
Parceled out to friends and relatives, my sisters and I were separated from our parents and each other for several weeks. You see, my dad had been invited to Australia to teach at the University there and he took my mom along with him. I was fortunate to be able […]
Shanna Hatfield’s newest book is releasing today. I will be reading and reviewing it for you here on July 19, so be sure to stop back then. . . Excerpt Matilda held out a bright purple gift bag with orange polka-dotted tissue paper stuffed inside. Justin took the bag, removed the […]
People who know my husband and me often comment on how different we are and how they never would have pictured us together. While I am outgoing, optimistic, and, dare I say, effervescent, my dear husband is very much an introvert and tends to be more calm and serious. I […]
I’ve always had a fascination with the pioneers and the late 1800s. Perhaps it was from growing up in California and the camping trips we took all over the Southwest. The Indians (as we called them when I was younger) fascinated me as well. Western fiction, both in books and […]
I had never dreamed that I would move so far away from my family and friends yet I found myself in our car following the moving truck my husband was driving headed for our new home, sixteen or so hours away from the world I had always known. Don’t get […]