children, coffee, laundry, morning, new day, praise, puppies, sleepless, worship

Better Than Coffee

photo by Kim Andrist       Beautiful morning.   Gentle, pink edged sky,   Foggy presence lingering,   Birds chirping—calling,   A lone goose flying—calling out   Like an emergency vehicle warning   Oncoming traffic.   Everything saturated with the morning mist,   The smell of burning wood,   And a puppy who just wanted to be   Outside. …

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Army, exercise, friends, God's faithfulness, loneliness, moving, puppies, silence

Not Alone: My New Walking Buddy

I am a people person, and in the past I really didn’t like being alone. I didn’t like to shop, eat at restaurants, or exercise alone. But I’ve learned through the years that being alone is a big part of growing up–at least it has been in my life. I remember how shocked and hurt I was the first year of marriage when I realized that my …

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Bible study, Jesus, morning quiet times, Paul, Pontius Pilate, puppies, rain, treasure hunt, Truth

Treasure Hunts on Rainy Days: Finding Nuggets of Golden Truth in the Bible

“What is truth?” Pilate asked (John 18:38). I was on a treasure hunt this morning. A Scripture treasure hunt. Have you gone on one lately? It always starts with one verse that jumps out at me with a question. Then one verse leads to another until I end at a pot of gold. Fitting for this rainy morning. My usual freckled-faced …

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Bad, choosing, good, hardship, Paul, puppies, Streams in th Desert, suffering, trials

Jack Chronicles III – Choosing to See the Good in Trials

Our story continues…. He wants to play! Jack, my puppy, wants to play! How did I go from a calm, consistent life of morning quiet times to sharing these special parts of my day with a four-legged, wiggly, demanding little creature? I’m really not sure how it happened, but saying yes to getting a dog was so far from my plans …

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God's love, God's patience, prayer, puppies, quiet time, rest

Jack Chronicles II

There’s a wiggling puppy between my feet. He’s always gnawing, sniffing, biting, and busy– unless he’s asleep. When he is asleep he is a perfect angel. Loss of mind allowed this puppy into our lives. A pure moment of insanity. When he is in the middle of a “Jack Attack” and nothing will stop him from growling and biting my …

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