My Mom Tells Her Story of Raising Children Overseas

15 years ago today my motherโ€”Marjorie Jo Loomis Dubertโ€”"graduated to glory" (1928โ€“2010). In her remembrance, Iโ€™m sharing a talk she gave in October, 1984 to her colleagues about her experience of raising children in Papua New Guinea.

Liturgy for the First Weeks of a New Life

Itโ€™s hard being new to the world. Welcoming a baby for the first time is rough. This prayer, inspired by my son, his wife, and their new daughter, is for all who have a new baby in the family.

My Birth Story Sixty Years Later

Some parents have a family tradition of telling their children their birth story every year on their birthday. God tells Jesusโ€™ birth story to us in the Christmas narrative. Telling our stories defines us. My mother told my birth story quite often but since she is no longer with me to celebrate the occasion of this milestone birthday, I tell myself the story through her written words I recently discovered in her personal letters.

My Sixtieth Birthday Wish

Iโ€™m turning sixty in a few days and for my birthday I want sixty reviews (or as many as possible) for my book: โ€œFavored Blessed Pierced: A Fresh Look at Mary of Nazareth.โ€

The Difference between Envy and Jealousy

Do you know the difference between envy and jealousy? I did not until I heard a message from Jamin Roller at Citizens Church, Plano, Texas. I owe these thoughts to him.

Wise Words From My Mom

My mom was a keeper (pun intended). She kept documents, notes, calendars, prayer letters, cardsโ€”anything she thought important. On this thirteen anniversary of her graduation to glory, I share some of my motherโ€™s wise words.

To the Groom and his Bride

On August 7, 2022, my first-born son, Lane, married Pam in a lovely ceremony officiated by my husband. Here are the words we, as his parents, spoke over them.

4 Applications from Hebrews 10 for Trying Times

Public insults. Conflict. Persecution. Prison. Confiscated Property. The readers of the the New Testament letter of Hebrews experienced all this in the early days of their walk with Jesus. While I cannot attest to this kind of suffering, I do know trialโ€”wrecked car, bureaucracy headaches, ant infestation, health issues, the passing of loved ones. Like the early Christians, I too need the authorโ€™s counsel on facing trying times.