Love That Creates Value

“Be_________ so that you can be loveable.” We send this message to our children, our neighbors, the people we hire, our spouses, etc. Be a certain way so that I can love you, employ you, marry you, etc. That’s the criteria we use to make decisions. I will choose it if...

The True Story of Mary and John

This is an old photo of my daughter, Mary Addison, and her friend Joseph. I love this photo for many reasons – mostly because our dear friend, Joseph, always saw angels and now he is with the angels. But this story is about an encounter Mary Addison had with a...

Becoming People of Peace

The post read, “We’re looking for people of peace to join us in this project.” People of peace? What does that mean? Would I qualify? Am I a person of peace? Why a person of peace? What difference could that make as long as I’m qualified? But that was the only...

Isolation

“Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’ ” Matthew 26:38 (NIV) Jesus’ words here resonate with me. There have been so many times when I just wanted to scream...

The Power of the Powerless

I went to visit my most favorite teacher ever – my third grade teacher, Mrs. Hasell. I had not seen her in over 40 years, but fate brought us back together on this steamy Saturday afternoon. She seemed like she was 103 years old when she taught me, but she really was...