“Tell me all the fun things you did today?” I questioned my eight and six-year-old about Bible school. “Well,” Faith began, and took a deep breath. I knew I was in for a story... “We were outside playing games and it was hot. So they gave us cups from Sonic and you won’t believe what was in them,” my daughter told me, getting more and more animated. I equate Bible school with Kool-aid so I had a pretty good guess. “What?” I asked, waiting for her reply. “HOSE WATER!” She spat it out in the most exasperated way. I wasn’t sure I understood what she said, so I made the mistake of asking again. “HOSE WATER! HOSE WATER! You know, water that comes out of a hose, like from outside,” Faith told me still not believing they had the audacity to serve it. “And ...
Category Archives: Carol
Clean House
Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. Psalm 86:4 NIV Every woman fantasizes about the day her husband will say, “It’s okay, honey, I’ll clean the house for you today.” Well, friends, my dreams just came true. I clean the house on Fridays. It’s my routine. But last Friday was the first day of my husband’s vacation time. As I grabbed the disinfectant spray and headed for the bathroom, he grabbed me by the waist and uttered the most charming and heart-stopping words a man could utter, “I’m going to clean for you today. Take the day off.” While I pittered and pattered around the house, I watched the man sanitize with vigor. He dusted things that were long overdue, and polished some areas I tend to gloss over. I stood in the mirror applying ...
Battles
You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. Psalm 18:35 NIV You are lounging on the couch when the doorbell rings. Not expecting anyone, you are surprised and run to the door to see who is there. With windows running down either side of the door, you can easily view the visitor. But it is not just one. There are hundreds of visitors at your door. Your skin crawls with dread as you see line after line of men in full military dress armed with guns. You do not recognize their insignia – they are not on your side, and from the looks of their faces, they are not happy. But wait! You just remember you have a candle and a clay pot by the front door. And what ...
Better Than a Blue Light Special
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NIV My mom loves to shop. Now I know a lot of people love to shop but not like my mother. Shopping to my mother means finding the absolutely lowest price on the absolutely best product. If you meet someone in my family and compliment something they are wearing, they are likely to tell you the story of how they got it and what a bargain it was. You must understand this about my mother to understand how her wildest dream came true. K-mart was going out of business. The store closest to my mom’s house was completely closing down. On the way home from dinner one night, my mom talked my dad into stopping. “Everything is 90% off,” she cajoled. “Fine,” he agreed, “but ...
Baptism
"En nombre de Padre, de Hijo, y de espiritu santo." The waters stirred as the dark haired gentleman followed the pastor into the baptismal pool. The pastor introduced himself and this gentleman to the congregation. Hundreds of eyes rested on these two as they readied to represent Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. "This man comes to us tonight to be baptized." Those were the last words I understood. The pastor then spoke beautiful Spanish as fluid as the water in which he stood. The words were engaging but made no sense to me. I followed as closely as possible listening for chunks of words I understood comparing them to the words I knew and expected at a baptism. Then I heard them. The most beautiful words. The names of our Lord. I recognized them. "En nombre de Padre, de Hijo, y ...
Don’t Just Eat the Marshmallows!
"DON'T JUST EAT THE MARSHMALLOWS!" I print this on a banner and wave it madly over the breakfast table. Every time I buy Lucky Charms, it's the same. The kids beg to eat it and then pick out the fluffy sugary sweetness and leave the cute oat shapes floating aimlessly in the bowl. You would think that I'd wise up and quit buying it. But as I decidedly march down the cereal aisle looking for healthy, low-sugar, proves-I'm-a-good-mom cereal, there he is. His cute little leprechaun face luring me in - promising gold at the end of the rainbow and before I know it I'm in the check out line with yet another box of Lucky Charms. The next morning, I stand perched over the breakfast table, banner in hand, chanting, "Don't just eat the marshmallows. The little oat shapes are good ...
Chasing Birds
Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:8 NIV “Come back here!” I scolded my son as he darted across the Wal-mart parking lot. “But, Mommy I almost caught one,” he told me, referring to the tiny birds always found hopping between the cars looking for cast-off French fries and other tasty morsels. I watched as my seven-year-old crept closer and closer to the bird standing next to our oil covered wheels. Step. Step. Step. “Aww, man.” He wasn’t fast enough. The bird darted away in search of a safer place to glean. Do you ever feel like my son? Something you want is in arm’s length and as you reach out to grasp it, it’s gone. Maybe it’s a child you desperately desire. For some, it may be a new job. A ...
Turn Your Head
Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Psalm 119:35 NIV “Come on, sweet girl. Turn your head this way,” I coaxed my newborn baby. As I tried to gently turn her soft head to the left, she tensed up and held her head in the opposite direction. I sighed, envisioning her head forming in the lumpy shape it currently held. The doctor told me to encourage her to look left as much as possible. She favored lying with her head to the right. “Lay her in the bed so when she turns right, she faces the wall,” she told me. “That way she’ll turn her head left to look out into the room.” It wasn’t her fault. While in the Neonatal Intensive Care after birth, she was strapped with her head to the right most of the time. It became comfortable to her because it ...
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Genny Heikka
Managing EditorGenny started her career life thinking that the business world was where she wanted to be. But after her daughter was born and she began reading books to her, she realized that what she really wanted to do was be a writer...
