“If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”
As a pre-school youngster, I often whispered that prayer while covering my head with a blanket. Rumors of war, tornado warnings, or even a bump in the night would raise fears of death in my young mind. What would happen if I should die? Would I live on in heaven? Would God really take my soul to be with him?
I can still hear the rumble of the mailman’s car and the screech of its brakes as it pulls in front of our house, the scrape of the mailbox’s rusty hinges when opened, and the hollow metal twang as it slams shut. As the car pulls away, I see my younger self racing down the drive, hoping to find an envelope addressed to me, a letter from someone I love.
A whisper of air struck my cheek and I turned to see the guard standing beside me.
“Is this your favorite painting here?” he asked.
The temptation to stay in bed with the covers over our heads is strong. For many of us, we’ve lived with government recommendations—even, in some cases, demands—that we actually do stay in our homes. Shielding ourselves by staying home, turning off the news, engaging in safe, warm, cozy activities and light books and entertainment in an attempt to block out or forget about all that is going on is an understandable desire.
My father thought sideways. It happens. Probably stemmed from the shrapnel imbedded in his head at a hillside in Italy.
How far are you willing to go to pursue your goals? Goals are good, especially when we’re called to pursue things. For example, I know that I was called to publishing and writing. Others may know they were called to the mission field, to teaching, to firefighting, to music or art. Goals help us pursue…
How do you anticipate a season if you’re dreading it? For some, this year has been full of blessings, but for many, it’s been one challenge after another. I feel you. This year has been a mixed bag for me.
The secret is that anticipating Christmas doesn’t depend on our circumstances.
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[Janalyn Voigt] The Irish in America
On St. Patrick’s Day, Americans of Irish descent have something to boast about. A smidgeon of Irish blood is all it takes. How times have changed. Attitudes toward the Irish were quite different in Wild West days.