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Live Beats A Recording
February 20, 2012 in: Devotions
The Martins concert did not disappoint. The group’s appearance in St. Joseph Friday night kicked off the Northwest Missouri Gospel series. It was one of the most moving concerts I have been to in some time. From the moment they stepped out on to stage, the Spirit of the Lord was evident. As another concert [...]
continue readingThere’s A Baby Up There
December 22, 2011 in: Devotions
At Christmas Eve services last year, we crowded into church, the night filled with both a sense of contentment and anticipation that is unique to December 24. The service was simple and moving, two teenagers portraying Joseph and Mary, gifted musicians singing old carols and new worship songs. In the row behind me, young Emily [...]
continue readingA few hundred gifts of thanks
November 23, 2011 in: Book Reviewsseparator=, &Devotions
This year I’m giving thanks, a little bit at a time. I have been engrossed reading The Hunger Games Trilogy thrilled to find it really is as good as promised. The main character is a teenage girl who sneaks under a barbed fence to hunt to feed her family. I’m in the middle of Book [...]
continue readingEaster – from sorrow to new life
April 23, 2011 in: Devotions
Deep in the human heart lives the hope for a new beginning. The desire is echoed in the rhythm of nature. Each morning, the sun rises on a new day. After a long winter, tulips emerge, the grass turns green and spring offers the earth a fresh start. Today, we celebrate the promise of new [...]
continue readingBook Review: One Year Chronological Bible
December 30, 2010 in: Book Reviewsseparator=, &Devotions
I am sharing a review of a book that I haven’t quite finished yet, but I’ve got a pretty good idea how it ends and I wanted to share it in a timely matter. Quiet times and daily devotionals can easily get in a rut and I enjoying hearing creative ideas from other people, so [...]
continue readingWhy I hate the Little Drummer Boy but love Christmas
December 22, 2010 in: Devotionsseparator=, &Reflections on the River
The little drummer boy is not in the Bible. Shepherds, angels, wise men, even a violence-prone king, but there is no little drummer boy who shows up at the manger. You would think it was Holy Scripture after the reaction from one woman, who told me she gets tears in her eyes every time she [...]
continue readingN-P-K: Formula for gardening and praying
July 14, 2010 in: Devotions
Crabgrass has been making itself an uninvited and unwelcome visitor in my garden. It’s been so wet lately, the ground will not get dry, giving the weeds a healthy growth spurt and frustrating my efforts to hoe them out. Trying to beat the heat, and not altogether succeeding, I went out to the garden about [...]
continue readingA dog-tired dog
March 14, 2010 in: Devotions
Really, this was not I intended by “walking the dog.” Although Tucker was enjoying it, all right. I was walking. And he was taking in the sights while nestled comfortably in my arms. We had started out the usual way, me bundled up in layers on a cool February afternoon while Tucker trotted at the [...]
continue readingFaith trumps the South Pole
January 19, 2010 in: Devotions
This winter has grown long and wearisome. Can I get an amen? Several days of below-zero weather were especially trying. My thermal long underwear grew itchy and uncomfortable. The wind howled and I swear I shoveled the same snow out of the driveway three times. At one point, it was actually colder in Missouri than [...]
continue readingGet a load of all those blessings
January 5, 2010 in: Devotions
This devotional was written for the American Christian Fiction Writers central region blog. I’m happy to post it here. A pot of potato soup was simmering on the stove, but I discovered I was out of crackers, so a quick run to the neighborhood grocery store was in order. Walking out of the store with [...]
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