Every January I switch out my desktop calendar, looking back through the previous year to transfer birth dates and other important information. This year, instead of a simple transfer of dates, the endeavor became a time of praise and awe and thanksgiving. For example, last January I …
“I am preparing you for what is on the road ahead, just around the bend” (Jesus Calling, December 27). The words of Sarah Young’s best-selling devotional sprang to life as the train wrapped around the curve ahead. From our seats in the dining car, my husband and …
Christmas is when the child we were should touch the child we raise so he can see the Wonder of Love. Everything else is just tinsel. Memories decorate more Christmases than all the world’s tree ornaments, paper and trimmings combined. For some people, those memories aren’t so …
I just finished decorating for Christmas. Seems I put up less each year, but some things are a must: The old plaster nativity set I had as a child, complete with one wise man’s chipped off nose and Joseph’s empty hand that held a long-lost staff. The …
Sun-scorched land. Not my favorite place to be, but sometimes I find myself scrabbling through loose rock and sand—just like a character in the final novel of my three-book historical series. As a seat-of-the-pants writer, I don’t plot and plan the story up front, I simply sit …
Unimproved road, the sign said. Looked all right to me. My husband and I continued along the unpaved lane through grazing land and open cow country, admiring an old ranch house and barn surrounded by towering cottonwood trees. The beautiful setting inspired peaceful thoughts as we drove …
Have you ever been stuck between a rock and a hard place? This tongue-in-cheek cliché is our go-to phrase when times are tough. When we feel wedged in a difficult situation, pressed upon by immovable obstacles and opposition, we begin to doubt that we can do what …
#thepotter The potter returned to our church last Sunday and demonstrated how God raises us up. There is more to resurrection, he said, than rising from physical death. Of course we hope that is true. Most of us long to rise from the grave of failed relationships, …
I misplaced only two things during our recent move across town: my shoes and my Bible. Actually, it was more than two things, but all the shoes were in one giant box because I thought it was a good idea at the time. Of course the box …
This pickup man takes a break after the rodeo. He’s still wearing his armor – the heavy thick chaps, knee pads, shin guards, spurs, rope, hat. Each item has a critical purpose and is designed to help him do his job—getting cowboys out of a storm or …
“I didn’t see that one coming.” “How could God let this happen?” “What now?” Been there? I dare say, most have. We lose our job, our home, our love, our way. We struggle to get back up, dig out the gravel pitting our flesh, and continue on. …
Ever feel like a misfit? Like you don’t measure up or conform enough? Like you’re just too different? Author Karla Akins knows the feeling but is encouraged by other nonconformists in the Bible. She says: Now that I’m a grandmother (okay – old), I find great comfort …
In celebration of my upcoming release, I’d love to give away an advance copy to someone willing to write a brief review on Amazon or elsewhere between Aug. 6 – 17. The lucky winner will also win a signature “bootmark.” To enter this event, comment here with …
Unbranded cattle in the early days of ranching were often nabbed by rustlers and burned with the mark of whoever caught them. Sounds like something that could happen to people with no direction or focus. After all, we do have an enemy that shoots fiery darts. …
This blog and my website will soon share the same address and a new look, but everything is currently being rounded up. I hope to see you soon. And I hope you’ll like what you find when you check back in. Until then … Blessings!