My fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly as the icy, blinding snow pelted down on my front windshield. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, I could barely see the car twenty feet in front of me on I-95. The windshield wipers chattered noisily, defiantly reminding me once again that they needed replacing….
I was looking at a relative’s wish list for Christmas, and I thought of how different our desires become as we grow older and wiser. The older I get, the less material things mean to me. This year the best Christmas gift I could receive is to spend that day with my family. Most likely,…
It’s almost Christmas! Have you started your Christmas shopping? When our kids were young, Mike and I did not want our family to be caught up in the materialism that surrounded the holidays. We wanted our children to understand the real meaning of Christmas. So my husband started chopping wood. To be more accurate, Mike…
It was while I was sitting in our weekly prayer meeting one Monday night when I first saw them. They were faces. I saw faces peering through the huge glass windows of our storefront at The 180 Center. So many faces. They were the countenances of people who were hungry and longing. Yearning for warmth…
With COVID-19 spreading, wildfires blazing out of control, fierce hurricane winds and flooding, and severe financial challenges, we may feel like we need a miracle to make it to the end of 2020! Do you believe God still does miracles? Have you ever experienced one of your own? Raised in a suburban middle class neighborhood…
I have a confession to make. I’ve been eating Reese’s Peanut Butter cups and Oreo cookies. Everyday. For the last five days. I know, I know! Believe me, I know how bad they are for me! You see, I’m stressed. Stop rolling your eyes and lecturing me on the benefits of exercise, deep breathing, and…
Three months after I was born, we moved to Hawaii. My father was an officer in the military stationed there, but my family enjoyed the beauty of the island while he served in Vietnam. I’m sure it was a challenging time for my mother, missing her husband and taking care of three children, but the…
Working with broken people can be challenging. Not everyone has the patience for people who seem desperate for help one day, but walk out the door a week later because they want to eat brown rice instead of white rice! When we first started working with homeless and addicted people, we had no idea the…
Here comes a huge load of the most horrible, heavy, condemning, life-changing junk hurled towards you with vengeance and ill will! Are you ready for it? No? Watch out! “Shame on you!” shouts a nasty voice. Have you noticed how easily these words pour out of someone’s mouth? “Shame on you!” Sometimes, it’s not that…
Boom! A terrible storm plowed through our neighborhood and the last of the thunder seemed to put the exclamation mark on our evening. Even with a power outage, I somehow managed to create a delicious dinner and everyone was hungry. Looking across the table at my six year old son, I asked, “Mikey, can you you pray…
