I've been doing some purging lately and it sure feels good to get rid of stuff. Things can tend to drag us down. A friend once told me how exc…

I recently visited a friend who has ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It involves the degeneration of motor neurons, leaving the brain …

I was watching the Weather Channel with my youngest daughter a few days ago. A clip came on about the devastating floods in Pakistan, and the …

As I sit in my office to begin writing this month’s column, my eyes are drawn to the closet door. On it are numerous heart-shaped sticky notes…

My husband has traveled for work for many of our 20 years of marriage. I was feeling especially discouraged a few weeks ago and was recalling …

I got new glasses last week. After wearing them all day every day and then taking them off at night, things look a bit blurry in one eye. I am…

For the first time I can remember, it is mid-February and our Christmas tree is still up and full of ornaments. Stockings are hanging over the…

My kids and I have been learning how the Bible is translated into other languages. I am fascinated with the translation into a language called…

I spent last night with a friend who had just received a heavy dose of radiation for a cancerous tumor on the remaining portion of her one goo…

Many, many Christmases ago, my grandmother brought us one of those magical advent calendars with chocolate behind a little door for each day i…

In a penultimate scene in Kevin Costner's underrated 2003 western, "Open Range," there is a lull in the shooting between the cattle baron with…

If you listen, sometimes wisdom comes from unexpected places.

It is hard to imagine that it was just 10 years ago that there was a great deal of fuss and bother over “Y2K.” Computer systems were going to …

Like many of you, I have had more than the usual amount of yard work this spring. The hard freeze this winter took a serious toll on my yard, …

I don't blame Eve. After all, she was likely just a curious adolescent ... probably needed a bit of excitement amidst her tranquil, predictabl…

It’s hard to describe, isn’t it? It is …a bittersweet heartache. It is watching your hopes and dreams walk. It is peering into the future. It …

A few years ago I took my kids camping near Lake Powell. The trip ended up being one disaster after another.

"Unos, dos, tres, catorce!" Bono counted us in (some, 2, 3 - 14?) and then The Edge took over.

I’ve just come downstairs to look for my brain. Apparently I lost it and everything that was in it. It happened to my husband, too. We woke up…

Once upon a time I found the perfect Valentine. It was unusually large and square and felt substantial in your hands. The cover was a collage …

I agree with Alice Cooper. He claimed embracing Christianity was the real rebellion of his life. So in that spirit, I did something a bit diff…

I was hiking on South Mountain trails last week when I bumped into a couple of men looking for directions. They were new to the trail system a…

By profession, my brother-in-law in Saskatchewan is a farmer. His passion, however, is Buck and Charlie, a pair of Belgian draught horses that…

She bounded out of the truck, covered in dirt and bursting at the seams. Arriving home from a camping trip with the Meehl men – her daddy, unc…

Spiritual Side is a keeper

My youngest daughter and I had quite an experience at the airport in Chicago a few weeks ago. We loaded all of our things into tubs to go thro…

The snow was flying and the roads were getting icier by the minute. We were driving down to Phoenix from Pinetop and a snowstorm had blown in …

I don't care who you are, nobody has the right to disrupt a funeral and hit a family while they are grieving.

As I sit here writing this month’s column, my mind keeps wandering.  There are so many things I have to get done today.  Laundry, driving kids…

“Stick your hand in it, mom! Go for it!” my son says. He looks at me with a challenging grin. 

Imagine opening a brand new tube of toothpaste. It feels heavy, round and smooth in your hands. Unscrew the top and start squeezing - but not …

My brother lives in the mountains in Colorado and is in the house construction business. It has been tight making ends meet and feeding all of…

Having a personal relationship with God

I was never a cheerleader in high school. But today, I love to encourage people. My highest calling is to comfort and minister to the people G…

As increasing numbers of people desperately call or stop by churches, religious and social institutions looking for help, as we struggle to co…

Let me set the record straight: I've got a temper. I've been known to hurl curse words and even - gulp - a book now and then. And I would be m…

An unexpected miracle arrived in my mailbox one day, exactly when I needed one. A thick envelope with no return address, it was chock full of …

Let me tell you a funny story. Lately I have been thinking a lot about strength and being strong. With a milestone birthday not too far in the…

“I know why spring is called spring,” my first-grader announced importantly as he climbed up into bed. “It’s because when the snow melts, ever…

A few weeks ago I attended a conference that was sponsored by the Voice of the Martyrs. The guest speakers have been persecuted for their fait…

Like you, I'm spending some serious time at Target these days. It is one of my favorite stores; and we never seem to get through a trip withou…

"I can't wait until Christmas!" exclaims my 8 year old several times a day. Then he does a little dance, electric anticipation popping and fiz…

A while ago, my kids and I were rocking out in the car to Vertigo by U2. We had the windows down and the volume obnoxiously loud. I was one co…

I wear sensible shoes.

Watching Julie & Julia. Julie, almost 30, a desk jockey who fields complaints in a call center, is sitting in a New York City restaurant l…

Last month our congregation hosted a food-packing event for Feed My Starving Children. Along with congregations in Peoria, Scottsdale and Mesa…

Ever since human beings began to form themselves into communities, the relationship between government and religion has been, well, dicey. On …

Ah, another football season’s come to an end. Not that I’m exactly an avid fan, but I live with a couple of diehards. And if I want to hang ou…

It all started with a bite in the butt.

I had an exciting day last week. Well, maybe exciting is too strong of a word. I was able to spend an entire afternoon thoroughly cleaning out…

It seems like Harvey Cox has been around forever. Now in his 81st year he is still going strong even though he is “officially retired” from hi…

As it most often is with such moments of shocking tragedy, the shootings at Virginia Tech last month leave us with far more questions than ans…

A few weeks ago, I was having a really rough day. That's how life goes sometimes. It shouldn't have thrown me for such a loop, but it did. I d…

According to parental folklore, as a kid, I ate like a bird. You would never know it now. Ever since my own "babies" arrived on the scene, I'v…

Nearly 500 years ago, priest and professor of theology Martin Luther nailed a list of issues for debate to the door of the church. There was n…

My brother lives on a lake in the Midwest. In the summer it’s pretty easy to see what the neighbors are doing just by looking down the shoreli…

Last month, a pastor in Florida made international headlines by announcing his plans to burn copies of the Qur'an. That he relented in the 11t…

Last week, leading up to Easter, I was struggling. All my inadequacies as a mom and homemaker were being highlighted for all to see. My inbox …

My mom approached looking agitated, crying. The rented sprayer was too loud to hear her and my dad and I were preoccupied with getting coating…

“He is risen. He is risen indeed!”

Jesus had a way of sneaking up on his pupils. Good teachers are like that. While spinning stories on the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven, the …

Last week William Rice stopped to see what was going on at a health care reform protest organized by MoveOn.org, a group in favor of health ca…

In March I wrote about my friend Kathy and her lifelong battles with cancer. I am thrilled to tell you that she has been completely healed by …

I came across a splashy ad recently for a new diet promising to make me “high school skinny” again. Really? Would I want to go back to being h…