"Momma, I love you."  "I love you too, buddy." "Momma, know what else? I like you." My sweet boy tells me the same paired sentiments day after day, usually multiple times a day. One day, a friend overheard his loving thoughts. "Why does he say the same thing twice?" I smiled as I ruffled Nate's dark hair. "He's not. My little guy is pretty wise. He's learned there's a big difference between liking someone and loving them." It's true, isn't it? God told us to love everyone, but to be honest, there are some folks I love that I don't…

"You gonna replace your phone?" I've heard the question countless times. I suppose it's a reasonable remark considering the state of my cracked phone screen. How the multiple shards of glass have managed to keep from falling out or cutting my fingers is a mystery. Still, the question rankles me a bit. Why? Because the phone works just fine despite its cracked appearance.  We are a people obsessed with perfection. If something is broken, just toss it away and replace it with a new model. A better one. Sometimes our attitude about objects bleed into the way we treat people…

Once upon a time, a sad girl lived in a dark, dreary land. As far as the eye could see, the land was gray. No colorful flowers danced in the breeze. There were no trees or sunshine, just bleak gray clouds and barren fields of dirt. There were many people but no one was happy.  The mean ruler of the Land of Darkness kept all the people chained in irons, wrist to wrist and foot to foot. If anyone tried to escape, they would only fall, entangled in the shackles binding them. The sad girl always wondered what was just…

Fear is one thing every human being across the globe has experienced. Whether it's fear of change, the unexpected diagnosis, family drama, or the monster hiding in the closet, we are people who tremble at the thought of the unknown.  We like what we can control, but when we have no control, fear breathes against our heart like a panting, snarling shadow. Even those who walked, talked and touched Jesus felt this same paralyzing agony. "On that [same] day, when evening had come, He [Jesus] said to them, 'Let us go over to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee].' So leaving…

Perfectionism can be the sneakiest of beasts, bleeding not only the pages of our own stories but marring the chapters of our children and grandchildren's stories as well. Not long ago, I had the privilege of visiting a beautiful riding ranch for children with disabilities in northern Arkansas. This equestrian center is set up like a miniature western town, complete with a post office, general store and chapel. Children, and even adults, with a wide range of disabilities come each week for riding lessons and the results are nothing short of miraculous.  Riding, touching and working with the sweet horses…

I was sitting on a rumbling plane in Chicago, waiting for the painfully slow pilot to push us back from the gate. No one seemed to be in a hurry that morning. Not the airline nor the stewards. Even the ground controllers outside my window appeared to be dragging their feet. I blinked the grit from my eyes. I wasn’t faring much better. The stale air blowing through the circular vents overhead wasn’t helping. Everyone seemed sluggish…except for the four year boy seated behind me in 22 F. The squirming tyke with his high-pitched voice was chattering nonstop, barely stopping…