Loving our marginalized brothers and sisters as the Savior loved

After spending 19 years as a prisoner, Jean Valjean, one of the lead characters in Victor Hugo’s novel Les Miserables, is released from jail. “Exhausted by a long voyage and dying of hunger and thirst, he arrives in a small town seeking a place to find food and shelter for the night. When the news...

‘It’s good to do hard things’

My daughter, Hannah, graduated from high school in May, the culmination of the last 13 years of public school and the commencement of the next step in her life. At the beginning of last August, with her senior year and applying for colleges both looming, we began searching for scholarships. I got online and found...

Pinterest Hit or Miss: Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup (Vegan, Paleo)

I haven't done a Pinterest Hit or Miss in awhile ... and I was looking for a new and easy, healthy fall soup recipe, so I thought this pumpkin one would be good to try and highlight here. It comes from Sabrina Modelle at Simply Recipes. And it was delicious. In her post, she says...

A perfect brightness of hope

August 28, 2018, was arguably the most difficult day of my life. Around 3 am, I was awakened by my husband. I could tell there was something very wrong with him, although he didn't realize it. I wasn't sure what to do so I said a quick prayer. Concerned about his well-being, I did not...

I have a bag full of lollipops if you need one

“There is no safe place in this gym.” I whispered those words to my husband last year as the crowd surrounding us rose up in anger with a referee’s call on a particular basketball play. I was joking. Mostly. For several games, we had tried different places around the gym to sit — looking for...

How to do Gatlinburg in ONE day with kids of ALL ages

Planning a vacation with 21 people – and with kids ages 8 months to 17 years – can be quite tricky. How do you find something that everyone can enjoy? We gave it a try this summer when we traveled to Tennessee with our parents, siblings and families. Our parents rented a cabin in Sevierville...

‘In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity’

I’m standing in the middle of the road. If you’ve ever been in the middle of a road, or seen someone who is, you know it’s probably not the safest place to be. There’s a chance you might get hit. More likely, though, you’ll get yelled at or cursed at, honked at or shown some...

Free things to do at Rocky Mountain National Park? Yes, please!

I’ve been to Rocky Mountain National Parks numerous times in my life, most recently this May, and three times in the last three years. It’s one of my absolute favorite places in the country. And I discovered something new in my planning this time. There are parts of the park that are outside the entrance...

Estes Park = excellent local eateries

  Estes Park has always been, for me, a cute, touristy town that served as the gateway to one of my favorite places on earth, Rocky Mountain National Park. While I'm sure there are some really great shops, (especially walking along Fall River including Outdoor World where we've purchased awesome Kavu wallets and bags and a...

‘some of it true, some of it false, and much of it partially true’

When God established a principle in the Bible, he did so with two or three witnesses. In 2 Corinthians 13, and similarly in Matthew 18, it says: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” The gospels are a perfect example of this. Matthew, Mark and Luke were all witnesses...