There’s nothing I enjoy more than being on the ice, figure skating. The freedom of movement, the cold air, gliding to music, I find invigorating. While skating, I am immersed in the moment, the rest of the day put on hold. Yet I didn’t always experience this pure enjoyment. For many years I took lessons in ice dancing. A group of us adults would take tests, working to move up the ranks of the sport. In my drive to excel, I sometimes deprived myself of enjoying the day’s practice—by focusing on my paucity of progress, or comparing myself to someone…
New Life, New Hope
Spring has sprung—except where I live. Here in northern New York we still have nearly a foot of snow on the ground, although moderating temperatures are bringing the drip drip drip of melting. Us locals know spring doesn’t really arrive for another month. Yet it will come! As the sun warms the earth and winter’s glory fades, it’s always amazing how plants in the yard that looked dead return to life. Tender shoots appear, soon to burst into lush green leaves and colorful flowers. Our lovely lilac bush, nearly buried by recent storms, appears dead and forgotten—but two months from now…
Why Kindness Matters
Moving day was overwhelming. When our new neighbor Ginny came to the door with a plate of blueberry muffins and an offer to help, it was like cool breeze on a sweltering summer day. “I’m free this week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I can help unpack, clean—whatever you need, I’ll be ready to do.” After many years of working and saving, friends of ours were finally enjoying a family vacation. As they pulled up to the tollbooth on the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel in VA with the hefty $15 fee in hand, they got quite a surprise—from strangers! The toll…
Yoked with the Master
As we busily move through our days—and especially when things are going well—it’s easy to leave God on the back burner. So often, it’s when the burdens of life become overwhelming, or too tough to handle on our own, that we cry out to Him. And although in His graciousness and goodness He hears us any time, God never intended that we navigate through life alone. In Christ, by way of the Holy Spirit, He’s given us a helper, a comforter, a companion and friend to walk with us through the peaks and valleys of our journey. When the stresses…
George Müller’s Secret to Effective Prayer
George Müller talked to God about everything and expected God to answer every prayer. During his lifetime (1805-1898), Müller cared for more than 10,000 orphans as the director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England, and provided Christian education to over 120,000 children in the 117 schools he established. Yet despite these wonderful achievements and the many lives he touched, he is best known as a man of great faith and prayer. His uncomplicated trust in God for every daily provision continues to inspire people around the world today. Remarking on his prayer life, Müller once said: “The most…
