Farmers labor to ensure that their toil will be rewarded, that their families and communities will be well nourished. Yet no matter how diligent the laborer, sometimes crops will fail. All...

While my husband’s Uncle Jim was in the hospital awaiting open-heart surgery, he received the shocking news that his only son had been instantly killed in a logging accident. Jim was...

I don’t remember how old I was, but it was the first year I shopped for Christmas gifts on my own. My parents gave me some money and let me walk...

Growing up attending a Christian school, I took religion classes every day. At least once a year we would be asked how we saw God in our lives. Every time I...

On this morning, our garage-door openers were broken. When I told five-year-old Ava to get into the car so I could take her to school, she reluctantly went to the car,...

Recently, I was standing in line at the bank listening to both the teller and the customer complain to each other about the stress of the Christmas season. I then walked...

Before retiring a few years ago, I worked for a large food company. We sold many different types of products but used the same process to create them. We started with...

As a child, I celebrated birthdays with joy and excitement. I opened my gifts with great zeal — tearing open boxes, ripping through wrapping paper, and turning gift bags upside down....

I have always been very confident in my abilities. When I finished high school, I was sure I would get into a state college; however I did not get a good...

I had invited my friend and his wife to attend church with me for many years, but they had never shown any interest in coming. For a long time they had...