But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy … so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. Titus 3:4-8a (NIV) “It’s time for lunch, and I’m hungry as a lion,” said my roommate as four of us first graders stood in front of a row of sinks in the large bathroom of the girls’ dorm…
On my first night in the dormitory at Kent Academy, the auntie on duty pointed toward the tall bunk bed against the right-hand wall of Room 15. “You’re in the top bunk,” she said. In my unfamiliar bedroom at the end of the first-grade hall, my stomach tightened, and my six-year-old voice squeaked like a mouse. “Do I have to sleep way up there? But how do I get up so high?” I’ve never slept so high off the ground….
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore, he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18 (NIV) The tall, harried woman loomed in our doorway, hands on her hips. “Debbie! What on earth are you doing?” Stretched out on my bed in the dormitory for missionaries’ children in Nigeria, my body stiffened. I knew I was in trouble. Earlier in the…
Photo courtesy of Simroots Archives The setting sun cast a long shadow behind me as I walked across the playground toward the dining hall. There’s my big brother Larry! Running over, I threw my arms around his waist. “Did you find your room?” he asked in his grown-up, seven-year-old voice. “The auntie showed me the way. Are you unpacked?” I replied. “Yes. But I’m sad. D’you like it here?” Larry asked. The sorrow in his voice touched my soul. “I…
The Lord is close to the brokenheartedand saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 (NIV) At 10 o’clock on Saturday morning, the noisy siren blasted throughout the campus of the boarding school. It was morning break for the staff of missionaries and Nigerians working in the kitchen and around the grounds. “Candy Line! It’s time for the Candy Line!” Children called to each other from all four corners of the school playground repeating the happy announcement. All week, I…
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. Psalm 23:1,2 (RSV) The girls’ dormitory was a beehive of activity on my first Saturday morning at Kent Academy, a boarding school for missionary’s children in Nigeria, West Africa. Fifteen little girls formed a line that stretched out the door of the large bathroom in the first-grade hall. It was time for our…
“But, Mom! I don’t want to go in. I won’t know anybody in that room!” Leaning against the wall just inside the massive wooden doors of the church foyer, I cross my arms in front of me. Pressing against my stomach, I try to corral the butterflies. “Honey, you know that two of the girls are daughters of my best friends in high school,” Mom says. “They are fifth graders too and I’m sure they’ll be very nice.” Mom waits…
Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. Psalm 71:20,21 (NIV) Why go to my school reunion? Do I have enough energy to sustain those long-ago friendships? My finger hovered over the button to purchase plane tickets to our weekend in Chicago. Do I have the money? Do I really have time?…
Reading: 1 Samuel 1:1 – 2:11 The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. 1 Samuel 2: 7,8a (NIV) For thirty years my parents served as missionaries in Nigeria where they raised five children. When I turned six, I started attending boarding school, only returning home for summer and Christmas vacations. I frequently felt homesick, lonely, and scared. While the other kids played, joked,…
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. — Psalm 139:16 (NIV) Today’s Reading: Psalm 139:1-6 After buying a dozen fresh flowers at the supermarket, I returned home and placed them in a large vase. Some stems were tall and full of blossoms, others short with small buds. I tried to arrange them in an attractive, orderly bouquet but they refused to even out. A visiting friend noticed the unkempt…