Today is my friend Virginia’s birthday. Virginia was born 94 years ago in 1917 on a farm in the southside region of the state for which she was named. Virginia is strong woman who has gracefully navigated a difficult life. She told me once about how as a child she […]
What Would Jesus Notice?
Talk about a busy ministry schedule, Jesus had one for sure. He was on a three-year mission to seek and save the lost, fulfill the Old Testament law and prophets, and prepare his disciples to turn the world upside down. The crowds were so hungry for both his teachings and […]
Our Princess to His Prince of Peace?
Not every female grows up with a princess fantasy, but I certainly did. Mine was mostly about prancing around wearing jewel-bedecked dresses with full skirts and long trains. Now that I’m an adult, I realize how incredibly uncomfortable those things would be, but when I was 7, 8, 9 years […]
One Woman’s Passion for Jesus
While my husband and I lived on the West Coast back in the 1990s, I met a sister at our church who soon became one of my closest friends. Her love for Jesus compelled her to minister to hurting women in ways I had never observed before. She possessed an […]
God’s Heart of Love
In Week 6 of The Gentle Savior Bible study, I wrote the following: In the Old Testament, God made laws about providing for the needs of the defenseless, but Jesus came and demonstrated that God wasn’t just the founder of a charity. God actually loves these people. The good news […]
Teaching is listening, Learning is …
How would you finish this sentence? Educator Deborah Meier says that learning is talking. In other words, real learning comes from being actively involved in the educational moment. Learners are not empty banks in which to deposit information. Searching, thinking, questioning, debating, and applying are all active aspects of learning. […]
Compassion Is Never Wasted
File this under the category “You can never predict what effect your actions will have.” In Week 9 of The Gentle Savior Bible study, I mention a local newspaper article reporting the arrest of seven women on charges of prostitution. That was the only time in our 11 years in […]
What Do You See in Sychar?
One day when Jesus needed a break from the Pharisees’ antics, he left Judea and headed back to Galilee for a while. Instead of taking the typical Jewish route east across the Jordan River and up, he headed due north through Samaria. As the disciples strolled into the village of […]
No Good Reason to Use the Word Slut
slut [sluht] A word used by women to demean other females for their perceived provocative style of dress or behavior around men. A word used by teenagers to mar the reputation of a girl they want to hurt. A word used by parents to shame their young daughters when otherwise […]
Adrianne’s Reflection on Living with Chronic Illness
I wrote the first draft of The Gentle Savior in the winter of 2008, including the chapter about the times Jesus healed two women (“The Healing Touch, ” Week 3). At the time I had no personal experience with chronic illness. The following summer, my daughter Adrianne, who was 16 […]