As a first grader who wanted to do things just right, I took seriously my teacher’s instructions to write neatly. I took her instructions so seriously that I continually erased and rewrote every imperfect letter, working to get...

Photo by Alicia Jones on Unsplash A question I asked for a long time is, “Does God laugh?” He sings. 1 He loves. He feels anger. He feels compassion. He mourns. Does He laugh? I’m not talking about derisive laughter, which God is...

Stock image by Greyerbaby on Pixabay I lead Bible studies for the women at our local jail, and during the course of my ministry, I have come to the conclusion that most of the women there have been abused in some way, whether...

As a former elementary grade teacher, at the end of a school year, I would often send summer math drills home with my first graders, along with a recommendation to do lots of reading over vacation time. I knew how quickly early...