The jumper was on the edge . . . literally. The creaking of huge metal cables echoed through the thick fog while violent tides crashed 220 feet below. San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge is well known as a suicide launching pad, and apparently this jumper was next in line. Two police officers were at the […]
Author: Colleen Swindoll Thompson
Transforming Your Church One Family at a Time
An Interview with Barbara Newman
Labels are everywhere! We live in a world that labels everything from coffee cups and clothing to food ingredients and designer fashions. While labels are helpful for things, they can be incredibly damaging when they define people—their value, character, or significance. And we do this all the time without thinking. Change must begin to take […]
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Getting Out the Door
At my house, getting out the door, especially to church, is almost an Olympic event. There are wardrobe crises, tired teenager tensions, sibling struggles—at times it’s more a combat zone than a home. I’ve observed many families with the same struggles. But isn’t it amazing how our attitudes change when we finally clamor into church […]
Three Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me!
Note: The following post is adapted from Bob West’s booklet, “Three Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me!” Everything about life changed for Bob and his family with the birth of his son, diagnosed with disabilities. Your life may be free of disabling conditions, but your faith may be in question due to something that’s […]
The Light Is Always On
I had to read these words then ponder them for some time. The story is found in Max Lucado’s work He Still Moves Stones. As you read, allow your imagination to picture this account.
3 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me: A Dad’s Story
An Interview with Bob West
In .22 seconds, more than 94,400,000 links to the word parenting came up in my search engine, revealing that we certainly don’t lack for material on the topic of parenting. However, the parenting process is far more complex than a list of links or a load of head knowledge, and parenting is profoundly more complicated […]
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Sorrow, Suffering, and God’s Severe Mercies
So much for assumptions. My daughter and I were attending a parent/transfer student weekend at a university she’s been planning to attend. We assumed things would be sweet and simple; however, things were not so sweet and simple. Due to misguided direction, she was told she would have to reapply and would not be able […]
Four Key Questions That Can Change Your Life—Part 2
“When it rains, it pours,” as the old saying goes. Last’s week’s post began with this statement; it seems to resonate with many of us. I asked two questions connected to how we willfully react to life difficulties; this week dives deeply into the heart of who we are . . . in our souls. […]
Four Key Questions That Can Change Your Life—Part 1
“When it rains, it pours,” as the old saying goes. Usually, about the time I get to feeling well grounded and firmly focused, the clouds come rolling in, and the illusion of control is washed away once again. The latest downpour began when my son had a seizure which set him back quite a bit—followed […]
God’s Providential Hand: From Deep, Dark Valleys to New Light and Life
An Interview with Craig Johnson
The word surprise has different meanings to many of us. There is much fun in celebrating someone with a surprise party or gift. But what about those surprising, unforeseen, unexpected events that come along? For example: A car accident The loss of a job The loss of a loved one or child A life-changing diagnosis […]
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The Answer You Have Been Looking For
I walked outside as the sun was setting to have a little chat with the Lord. Nature helps me remember God is in control; He indeed keeps all things in order, which includes the lifting and lowering of the sun. Two weeks earlier I had walked into my home and found my son, Jon, flat […]
It’s Okay
Getting stuck is a bummer. Just for a moment, let’s list a few “stucks”: Stuck in traffic Stuck on a test Stuck on a project Stuck while trying to fix something Stuck in the mud Stuck in a dead-end career Stuck in life Our minds can also get stuck in a rut of one-way thinking—the […]