>It's difficult to believe that it's already September. It seems that summer had barely begun and now it's almost over.Summer had a late start due to the stormy and wet spring here in the Midwest. Tornados and flooding caused unbelievable amounts of damage from which thousands are still attempting to recover. My son just moved … Continue reading >Summer’s Swan Song

>The other night I had a terrible dream. I dreamt I became a popular novel junkie.

>Watching summer olympics clips these last few evenings has reminded me of something I had almost forgotten: Watching commercial television involves watching television commercials.I realized that it has literally been years since I've watched television commercials. My husband and I are almost always too busy to watch television in the evenings. When we do have … Continue reading >Commercial Break

>"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver."Proverbs 25:11Proverbs 25:11 is a profound proverb. It is one I often think about and one that is particularly appropriate for blogs. A word can be "fitly spoken" by being the right word said at the right time or by being appropriate … Continue reading >Golden Apples

>Summer of Light by W. Dale CramerBethany House Publishers; paperback; 400 pages; © 2007Dale Cramer is a relatively new author in the Christian fiction genre and one of my favorite discoveries as a church librarian. His fresh novels are always a delight to read. Men, in particular, may enjoy reading about the struggles and escapades … Continue reading >Summer of Light: Book Review

>My essay, "Morning Star," won first place in The Outlook essay contest.You can read it here.Sola Deo Gloria.

>Whenever major movie companies make the effort to produce classic literature, especially literature based on a Christian worldview, believers ought to support those efforts with their box office dollars. That’s why I encourage readers to see Prince Caspian, the latest Chronicles of Narnia production by Disney and Walden Media.But if older children have not yet … Continue reading >Prince Caspian: Temporal, but not Eternal Restoration

>On Sunday afternoon, our son-in-law took us up in a plane to look at some of the local flooding. The picture below shows the dam located about a half mile from our home. Two of the flood gates are open and water is boiling out at an astounding 100,000 cubic-feet-per-second.The entire Des Moines River bottom … Continue reading >Flood Update

>Yesterday I prayed a lot while I watched live footage of Cedar Rapids flooding on the Channel 9 website and anxiously waited to hear from my son who was working feverishly with other company management personnel to remove computer server equipment from their downtown Cedar Rapids office before flood waters reached the building.Shortly after they … Continue reading >The Flood

>Yesterday the earthly tent of my friend, Gen Piersma, was laid to rest. At the cemetery, the minister introduced his reading of Psalm 23 by noting its appropriateness "as we stand here at the graveside." As he read the familiar words, "You make me to lie down in green pastures," I was gazing beyond the … Continue reading >My Friend, Gen