A Time to Listen

I recently finished reading Crisis Shot, a thought-provoking book by Janice Cantore, a retired Long Beach, CA police officer. The story was about a cop who, in the line of duty, fatally shoots an unarmed teen. It was quite the hot-button issue for the author to tackle, but she did it very well, with grace, and I’d highly recommend the …

Denouncing Evil

Denouncing Evil Evil happened this past weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia. Racism is wrong. Always. And it’s sad, unbelievable, horrific that racism still exists. Many took to social media denouncing what happened, and rightly so. Others pointed fingers at those who weren’t vocalizing  their anger at what happened, claiming that those who remained silent were part of the problem. As this …

Give Thanks in ALL Things

So far it’s been a tough holiday season. My mom’s been ill for a few years, yet her decline has been very gradual until this past month when it’s worsened like a snowball rolling downhill. Every day she seems to grows weaker, less coherent. Needless to say, it’s not easy to be thankful right now. Yet, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 directs to be thankful …

Hungry for Home Playlist

In my latest release, Hungry for Home, one of the prominent themes is the importance of spending time with those you love. With three kids who have suddenly become adults, and with parents who are struggling with aging issues, recognizing that life “…happens in a blink” is ever present. Make time to be with those you love, because in a blink, they …

Heart-Stopping Numbers

I don’t like to make waves. Typical for a Minnesotan, I suppose. I’m also a very poor debater, so I don’t speak out a lot on push-button issues, though I do have an opinion. But today’s a day I can’t keep quiet. Forty-two years after the passing of Roe v. Wade, and my heart still breaks. As I said, I …

A Not-So-Tiny Number

3% Seems like a tiny number, doesn’t it? Think about it, if someone offered you 3% of their French silk pie, you wouldn’t feel too grateful. I know I wouldn’t. So, when Planned Parenthood (the United States’ largest abortion provider) announced that once again abortion accounted for only 3% of their service pie (see page 14 of their annual report–link …

Top Posts in 2013

I find it interesting to look back over the year’s blog statistics. What resonates with readers (and what doesn’t) often surprises me and always teaches me something: Interviews and book giveaways are very popular The number of comments often doesn’t correlate with a post’s number of views Using a widely Googled term will draw in many readers who normally wouldn’t …

Living Out Our Gratitude

Fluorescent light and a thump on the bed awake you. You blink, slowly bringing your child into focus. His eyes are wide with expectation. “Wake up! Santa came!” And though, as a teenager, he doesn’t believe in the Santa of the red hat and white beard anymore, Santa’s spirit is very much alive. You shoo your teen from the room …