hope – Tattoo It On Your Heart

Reflections on an Imperfectly Perfect Christmas

Although I was heading out of the country for ten days, I determined Christmas would be stress free—not the usual last-minute mad dash. My sweet potato casserole and other side dishes lay stacked in the freezer. Likewise, the dough for honey-spice ginger snaps, rolled and ready to slide in the oven. Cheery holiday tins filled with fresh-baked anise and almond shortbread adorned the buffet, most of my shopping was complete, and the house clean when I departed.

There’d be plenty of time to complete the few tasks left on my list to prepare for Christmas on Cape Cod when I returned home on December 20th.

Everything in order, I looked forward to relaxing in Canada visiting my mom, stepdad, and my sister Monique, her husband, and their three delightful children who were flying in from New Zealand. — I should’ve known better. Life has a way of upending our great expectations with unexpected interruptions.

Grit & Grace: Michael Duncan ~ Author, Pastor, Master of the One-Line Sermon Returns

Feast on a banquet of truth from one who greets life’s challenges with grit & grace. Michael Duncan: author, pastor, master of the one-line sermon returns as my guest interviewee. Undeterred by threats, he shares wit, wisdom, and some wild stories including the unlikely setting in which Jesus saved him.

Empty Arms to Full Heart: One Mom’s Story

This particular Mother’s Day is perfect. For the first time in two decades, it doesn’t break my heart. Twenty years ago, Mother’s Day was far from perfect. Fifteen years ago, it was difficult. Ten years ago—you get the idea…

Let’s Hate Hate—Not Each Other

Let’s hate hate—not each other.

Have we forgotten that the difference between America and dictatorships is we have the freedom to think and feel differently and choose accordingly? And we don’t have to cancel or kill each other because our opinions contradict.

Missing from the Manger

Christmas 2017

In the year of our meager manger, a snowman made of sand, a lone shepherd, and two sheep showed up for the annual frenzied day-of-decoration at our home.—Sans Mary, Joseph, Jesus, or anyone else.

A Second Wind & Christmas Clementines

~Second Wind~

With Christmas days away and money scant for gifts, I determined to live up to my nickname, the Queen of Make-Do.

Road to Rabbi: A Messianic Jew’s Journey to Jesus

What an adventure, an education, and blessing to converse with the lively and jovial Rabbi Henry Morse of the Sha’ar Hashamayim Messianic Congregation in Stoughton, Massachusetts. I first encountered the Rabbi as he led his merry band of people down the hill after the If My People prayer event at the National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 2021.

Part 1 ~ Law Enforcement Series: A Master Police Officer, Veteran, Former Atheist, and His Extraordinary Wife

Master Police Officer Lewis has served in Virginia for 15 years. He was an active duty U.S. Naval officer for eight years and then in the reserves. He is also a former atheist. Officer Lewis and his wife Mickey adopted their two children from South Korea. Their son is on the autism spectrum. Mickey is a complex trauma survivor and a licensed professional counselor in practice for 15 years. She specializes in trauma treatment: working with abuse victims, sex trafficking survivors, and first responders—those struggling with PTSD.

How a Mail Carrier’s Mistake Saved Me from Suicide

Disappointment set in when there was no response, but I figured the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association had thousands of correspondence to monitor a day and probably wouldn’t see mine.

“Lord, I just want some of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association team to see my article and be blessed by what I said about Billy and their magazine.” I prayed when I tweeted the link to my 2018 blog post entitled What #BillyGraham Meant to Me in answer to a #HealthyFaith Chat question on Twitter.

Several days later, I was stunned to receive the following message from BGEA’s Twitter account:

“Hi Rachael! I’m a website writer at Billy Graham. My team recently came across your incredible testimony involving Decision magazine, and we’d love to have an interview with you and write an article. Is that something you’d be willing to do?… — Lizzy Long”

Now (Guest Post on Southern Ohio Christian Voice)

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Some words get thrown around like confetti in January— “Happy New Year! What’s your New Year’s resolution?”

But what about when it’s not happy? What about when you don’t know which way is up, and what if you can’t see any resolution for issues in your life, much less make a resolution? While some began the new year with fireworks and hope, others look out on the future through the fog of uncertainty. What then? Continue reading “Now (Guest Post on Southern Ohio Christian Voice)”