All the Wonders

This is a repost from the Alive Now blog. Jesus set such a seemingly impossible standard when he said, "Love your enemies and pray for...

My mom (Marty) and grandma both raised African Violets. I particularly remember the little plant stand in the east window of Grandma Ida...

350 dead. ... 1,000 dead. ... 10,000 dead in one prefecture. Trains, boats, entire villages washed away. Thousands missing. How many will...

This was my first-ever published writing -- in the "Patterns" issue of alive now! J/F 1985. I wrote this following my mom's last trip to...

This week I paged the January/February 2011 issue of Alive Now. "Paging an issue" is when the editor sits down with all the potential...

The earth seems to be in great chaos -- shootings, wars, earthquakes, hurricanes, oil spills, floods, tornadoes. As we follow story after...

Perhaps it's because of my dad's decline into Alzheimer's, but my return to the family cabin is especially powerful this year. It is like...

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." - Psalm 23:1, NRSV I wonder -- Who are your shepherds? My dad -- Charles Richardson -- is...

I opened a gift from my brother on Christmas and discovered the Nativity scenes from our childhood. One was the figures we had played...

I've been "doing Advent" for several weeks -- preaching, teaching, answering emails, posting comments on the website, leading workshops...

On the 7th day of my vacation at a remote cabin in Colorado, the DSL line providing my internet connection went down, and I got to see...

"These words, 'You shall not be overcome', were said very loudly and clearly. ... God did not say, 'You shall not be tormented, you shall...

Upper Room: How do you pray? Beth: I usually take some time for prayer each morning before I leave the house. It's not a great lot of...

This Spring marked the beginning of a year-long celebration of Penuel Ridge Retreat Center's 25th anniversary. This special place is on...

We lay Tigger the Scottie to rest this last Wednesday. He died peacefully at the vet, surrounded by strong women who loved him. Two of...

Grandpa's peonies started blooming yesterday. My Grandpa Wilson was a gardener. His entire back yard in Norman, OK was dedicated to a...