In December 1982, a Mel Gibson film entitled “The Year of Living Dangerously “was released. We are only a few months into a new year but I have already dubbed 2020 with the same title as The Year of Living Differently. For me, the difference began 17 days into...
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A few weeks ago I “pulled a muscle.” You’d think at my age that I would know better than to break up the packed ice on the sidewalk outside my house, and heave the snow over my shoulder to the verge; but it was such a pretty, blue-sky...
The month of March is said to come in like a lion and out like a lamb, and as I write this, longing for lambs and warmth, the temperature with wind-chill here in the mid-Atlantic hovers in the low double digits, expecting yet more snow and the same dreary,...
Not long ago a Canadian wrote me about a mysterious encounter he’d had with a homeless man, Helmut, who always carried in his shopping bags spiritual books, herbs, treats and notebooks, and you could imagine that many people thought this ragged man was probably a little crazy. But Helmut...
It is Thanksgiving week, and I am late with offering my few words before the T-Day feast of gladness that we are called to, because in the last weeks it feels as if all I’ve done is attend memorial services (three in three days; others earlier). Each service took...
Every October, with its falling leaves and brilliant colors, I’m reminded of my father’s death: October 30 the night before Halloween. My mother had died three years earlier, leaving our father, stroke-ridden, in our house. What was curious, whenever I visited Daddy, I could feel my mother in...
By Grace Brewer As I reflect on my time in Kenya, I am reminded of one certain thing, the people. I was able to spend two weeks of my July on a mission trip in Mombasa, Kenya. I was accompanied by a team of thirteen other students...
In 2010 we (at South Highland Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Alabama) learned of the need of a better quality of drinking waterin and around the rural community of Inkukuon about 50 kilometers south of Nairobi Kenya. The bore hole (water well) at Presbyterian Church of East Africa Grace Church produced...
By Katie Turpen From a fire that destroys one family’s home to a typhoon that kills thousands one organization is the definition of the helping hand. The American Red Cross responds to approximately 70,000 disasters each year. They provide shelter, food, health and mental health services to those who...
Handmade gifts are my favorite part of the holiday season. I’ve always taken a liking to crafting gifts for others—partly because I’m terrible at picking out gifts, but also because I like giving people more personalized gifts. Knitted gifts are probably my favorite handmade gift during the holidays. That...
Tis the Season…to be overloaded, overwhelmed, and stressed out. Don’t get me wrong I do get a subtle thrill from tacky Christmas sweater parties, Christmas music blaring from speakers all around me, and all the holiday glitz and glamor that floods our lives this time of year. However, this...
There is no doubt that Fall is here. And with this special season, comes cool weather, cozy sweaters, hot pumpkin lattes, and of course, the beautiful scenery. There is something soul-moving about looking out the window and seeing a sea of brown, yellow and red canvas the trees. Watching...
John 15:12-13 (NIV): “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this.” Recently, I had foot surgery. When the surgeon told me I would have to be off of my foot for six weeks, keep the foot elevated, no weight...
November: Sharing Goodness “For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalms 107:9 (KJV) Once upon a time in my hometown, a gentleman (let’s call him Mr. Williams) and his wife were in their golden years, ready to sit back and enjoy the fruits...