My dad loved being outdoors in God rsquo s creation camping fishing and rock-hunting He also enjoyed working in his yard and garden But it took lots of work He spent hours pruning hoeing planting seeds or flowers pulling weeds mowing the lawn and watering the yard and garden The results were worth it mdash a landscaped lawn tasty tomatoes and beautiful peace roses Every year he pruned the roses close to the ground and every year they grew back mdash filling the senses with their fragrance and beauty In Genesis we read of the garden of Eden where Adam [... more]

When Hugh and DeeDee released their only child to heaven they struggled with what to call themselves in the aftermath There is no specific word in the English language to describe a parent who has lost a child A wife without her husband is a widow A husband without his wife is a widower A child bereft of parents is an orphan A parent whose child has died before they have is an undefined hollow of hurt Miscarriage Sudden infant death Suicide Illness Accident Death steals a child from this world and then robs the surviving parents of an expressed [... more]

Country artist Chris Stapleton rsquo s deeply personal song ldquo Daddy Doesn rsquo t Pray Anymore rdquo was inspired by his own father rsquo s prayers for him The poignant lyrics reveal the reason his father rsquo s prayers ended not disillusionment or weariness but his own death Stapleton imagines that now instead of speaking with Jesus in prayer his dad is walking and talking face-to-face with Jesus nbsp Stapleton rsquo s recollection of his father rsquo s prayers for him brings to mind a biblical father rsquo s prayer for his son As King David rsquo s life ebbed [... more]

A marine biologist was swimming near the Cook Islands in the South Pacific when a -pound humpback whale suddenly appeared and tucked her under its fin The woman thought her life was over But after swimming slowly in circles the whale let her go It rsquo s then that the biologist saw a tiger shark leaving the area The woman believes the whale had been protecting her mdash keeping her from danger In a world of danger we rsquo re called to watch out for others But you might ask yourself Should I really be expected to be responsible for [... more]