All the books about prophets in the Bible are written about their message – except Jonah. The book of Jonah is about his defiant heart and the merciful heart of God. Jonah lived when Judah was a vassal of Assyria. Strategically located on the Via Maris, the major trade highway, Judah also served as a …
Well, I did it again. Set the temperature on the oven, slide the roast in, and went off to do other chores for the next hour, only to come back and see a raw roast. What now? After dealing with a brand new, defective washing machine (and doing wash at the laundromat for a month), …
Rick and I started reading to our children when they were in utero. We would sit on the couch, me rubbing my growing belly, while Rick read stories. We called each child “Little R”. No gender reveal for us. We wanted the surprise at the end of nine months. Reading remained a special time with …
Pastor Barney Cargile (of Barney’s Bullets) was a guest speaker at our church a few weeks ago and shared a poignant story about a deer caught in barbed wire. His wife, Linda, is an amazing woman of faith and has a way with animals. When the neighbor came for help, Linda went out with wire …
Some years ago, Rick and I boarded a ship that was sailing the Norwegian coastline, dipping into the fjords to drop off goods and passengers. One night the seas were very rough. The ship surged up and crashed down, mountainous waves over the bow. Dinner was being served, and there were understandable delays. Not being …
I love going for a drive along California’s Sonoma Coastline section of Highway One, from Bodega Bay, north toward Jenner-by-the-Sea. Rick and I pull off at Regional Parks and beaches along the way to watch and listen to the pounding surf. It is both comforting and frightening in its power. The sound of waves stroking …
What we don’t know can present a danger to our children. I served as an alternate juror on the Don Kimball case some years ago. While other priests faithfully served their people, this priest secretly preyed on vulnerable young women. Though he was found guilty, he was later released by a higher court due to …
The seeds of the lotus are found in the mud, surrounded by insects and foul swamp water. Most other life forms can’t grow in this environment. But the lotus struggles and finds nutrients and grows despite adverse conditions. The lotus stem looks like a slippery worm as it grows against opposition from its watery world. …
My mother bought four very special cake plates with cups while our family visited the gift store at the Empress Hotel in Victoria. She’d always wanted “bone China” dishes. She tucked the cups and plates away to use for some future special occasion. She had a few lovely tablecloths passed down in the family, a …
When a lone hermit crab finds a good shell, it checks it over for size. It doesn’t pull itself out of the too small shell to check out the bigger one because its body is soft and could cook in the sun — or worse — attract the attention of hungry predators ready to fight …