Tag: Peace

  • Finding Meaning in an Open Closet Door

    Finding Meaning in an Open Closet Door

    It started simply enough. Shortly after we remodeled our home, I found a closet door open in the back hallway. “I must have forgotten to close it after I was in there last night,” I convinced myself. But it kept happening. “Sweetheart, were you in the back hallway closet yesterday? I noticed it was left…

  • The Sea Cushion: Peace in God’s Presence

    The Sea Cushion: Peace in God’s Presence

    He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1 (NIV) People who’ve spent time in submarines, under the surface of the ocean, speak of a “Sea Cushion.” Below a certain depth, the water is relatively smooth –no matter what the wind-driven waves are doing…

  • Lessons from Dead Flowers and a Squeaky Door

    Lessons from Dead Flowers and a Squeaky Door

    The PR person from a local bank contacted me, wanting to buy fifteen cases of single-serve potato chips for a community barbeque. “Yes, I can fill the order,” I said, as a proud route sales rep with Frito Lay, Inc. The next day the manager of the bank called, saying she found the product at…

  • Finding Contentment: A Lesson in Dual Meanings

    Finding Contentment: A Lesson in Dual Meanings

    There are numerous international students in my school district who speak English as a second language, and sometimes our homonyms can lead to misunderstandings. For instance, imagine a teenager who just came to the United States from Italy. She has a good grasp of conversational English but doesn’t realize some of our words are spelled…

  • Relationships: A Survivalist’s Guide

    Relationships: A Survivalist’s Guide

    I once heard a cautionary tale about a Christian missionary who sailed the ocean alone to reach the heathen. He ended up stranded (still alone) on a small island in the middle of the Pacific. A few years later, a passing fishing boat saw the smoke from his campfire and rescued him. His liberators were…

  • Traveling

    Traveling

    I ran into an old high school friend the other day. After catching up on what’s new in our lives, I asked about his parents, who are both in their early eighties. He told me his dad likes to say—with a wink—your mom and I are traveling a lot in our retirement: we travel to…