I love chocolate ice cream. I love the Kansas City Chiefs. I love my wife. All of those statements are true, but the meaning varies wildly. While I do enjoy chocolate ice cream very much, […]
Category: Faith
Long Live Love
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and […]
Joshua Manning Loves His Neighbors
I grew up in Southwest City, Missouri. Most people wave at you when they see you driving down the road. People are friendly to a fault. When I met someone who did not know me […]
Love Allows Purpose In Pain
Now I want you to know,brothers and sisters,that what has happened to mehas actually served to advance the gospel.Philippians 1:12 I asked Chris Rees to my senior prom in 1991. It was our first date. […]
Foster/Adopt: Teresa Flora
If we had an hour and two cups of tea, I would tell you a remarkable miracle story. words + photographs TERESA FLORA The story’s main characters met at the age of 13. Married at […]
Lead Yourself Better
Answer me honestly; no judgment here: Do you ever sneak a peek at the advice columns in the newspaper? I do once in awhile. I find the questions posed are easier answered than happenings in […]
Once New, Always New
A few weeks ago, we received a wonderful phone call. Our daughter called and told us our oldest granddaughter, Harlee, came to the living room that morning and was emotional and feeling sad. After some […]
Foster/Adopt: The Goddard Family
Adoption is not for the faint of heart. The road can be long, disappointing, frustrating, and can lead to a lot of heartbreak and questioning God’s plan for your family. When our family (Greg, Tarynn, […]
As we wait
While working toward my master’s degree at Missouri State University, I had the great privilege of being a graduate assistant/writer in the Publications office. It was a dream job with dream co-workers who were extremely […]
Waiting for the Unrealistic
“Your idea is unrealistic and will never work,” commented a classmate after I shared my paper with my grad school class in 2005. I wanted to build a holistic center that would address all aspects […]
Waiting to Hear God’s Voice
The Israelites waited in the desert 40 years to see the fulfillment of God’s promise to them. The prophetess, Anna, waited 84 years, practically a lifetime, to see her long-awaited Messiah come, not as a […]
Beautiful Star of Bethlehem
Amy Tyndall sings “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem.”
Waiting for Double Marshmallows
I am like all the kids who eat the first marshmallow — you know — from those experiments. Experimenters (or parents) set one sweet treat in front of a child with the promise that, if […]
Three Bracelets
Three bracelets. One copper. One silver. One gold-plated. words + photographs GRACE LEE The copper bracelet was the first one I started wearing, and it says, “Faithful.” I felt like I was doing what He […]
Family Through Faith Farm
The mission of Family Through Faith Ministries is focused on one mission expressed in three ways. The mission is to feed people Physically, Spiritually, Mentally. interview JULIE JOHNSONphotographs courtesy of FAMILY THROUGH FAITH FARM When […]
Grace To Grieve by Lori Matthews
On Oct. 14, 2014, my husband had emergency surgery for a mass in his colon. Two days later, Todd was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. My strong, healthy, 46-year-old husband, the father of our […]
Homegrown Journal 