I have always been a big fan of mountains, and few years ago I had an experience that deepened this love even more. While trekking through the Himalayas, I spent a week with a group of boys and girls who opened my eyes to the miraculous ways that God is using children to expand His…

If you ask people what they do for a living, they will describe themselves according to their significant tasks: “I am a mother,” “I am a teacher,” “I am a doctor” or whatever task identifies them best. Having a significant task is a part of our God-given DNA. Every child, no matter how young, wants…

Silent and still, I stayed there, sitting on a giant bean bag in the corner of the room, watching Dakota take her younger brother on an imaginary adventure. With gentleness and grace, she showed him the ropes of playing make believe. I adored the way he listened to her, eyes wide, soaking in every word…

Back in the day, we considered three things sacred: God, country and the Montgomery Ward catalog. Emblazoned on its cover was the proclamation “Largest Mail Order Business in the U.S.—Supplies for every Trade and Calling on the Earth.” It hawked the world’s goods, everything from fashions to farm implements to something called “crockery.” You could…

Sixteen years ago, right after two new baby girls were born into our family, my daughter’s mother-in-law (Ruth) initiated an idea that has become a tradition for the ladies and girls in our family. Every spring, we get together for a luncheon that is loosely inspired by the Jewish festival of Purim and the bold,…

Imagine a deep pit into which an unsuspecting person has stumbled. Many would-be rescuers are standing around the opening, but a lone voice calls out, “I will go down, but you must hold the ropes for me.” God is in the business of seeking people who have lived their entire lives in the pit of…

I have attended many tea parties in my life. You know, the fancy ones with feather boas, imaginary tea and crumpets, and stuffed elephants that wear tutus. These sorts of luxuries are just everyday life when you hang out with four-year-old girls. I have noticed that no matter what is going on in the seen…

Bumper stickers were the original tweets. I grew up in the days of the bumper sticker. Nowadays, I don’t see as many as I used to. Back then, every car had a bumper sticker, and usually more than one. Some of them were quite funny: “The weather is beautiful here; wish you were here too,…

I did not know his name but I remembered his face. During my first Weave BIG Story training in Ethiopia, he sat just in front of me on my right hand side. He was always dressed in slacks and a button-up shirt, faithfully taking notes through each and every session. He spoke only enough English…

For the most part, my generation lived in a bubble. We lived, we worked, we went to school, we married and we died, all within our bubble. There was nothing wrong with that; it was just the way it was. To show you how small our bubble was when I was growing up in Missouri,…