DP - Blog

What Comes First?

The middle schoolers act out the nativity story, and we sing the first verse of all the familiar hymns. At the end they distribute glow sticks, and we hold them high in the air while singing Silent Night, Holy Night. If you have never attended a service like this...

Posted December 7,2020

Too Much Christmas?

My childhood set of Berenstain Bear books can answer most of life’s questions. A family favorite is The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday . In it Sister Bear’s 6th birthday party (her first party with friends) gets bigger and bigger until it becomes too much for her. Sister dissolves into a puddle of tears...

Posted December 7,2020

Advent Wreath at Home?

For as long as I can remember growing up we did an Advent wreath lighting and devotion during supper. My mom would read the scriptures and...

Posted November 30,2020

Half Painted Toenails

We recently had family pictures made and while I planned our clothes, I forgot about shoes until twenty minutes before...

Posted November 18,2020

The Dark Brush

We joke in my husband’s family about his mom and her “dark brush.” My mother in law has an uncanny ability to look at a situation and assume the worst– thus she paints each scenario with a dark brush. Example...

Posted on November 11, 2020

Wannabe Runner

I am a wannabe runner, and I have been for roughly the last twenty years. I am not built like a runner...

Posted October 27, 2020

What Do You Hear?

As a child I suffered multiple ear infections and a ruptured eardrum. Now I am hard of hearing in my right ear. Once while driving to church the radio was on, but I could not hear the song playing or even tell if the singer was male or female.

Posted on October 13, 2020

For the Beauty of the Earth

My mother in law has a small sign sitting on the windowsill over her kitchen sink that says, “Lord, let me not pass by the beauty in this day.” As a mom of three littles, my days can be a blur of mundane motion. Cook. Clean the kitchen. Pack lunches. Reading logs.

Posted on October 6, 2020

It’s Not Enough

I noticed my friend Ashley was quiet. In fact, she didn’t speak a word throughout the entire meeting until one of our pastors said, “Ashley, how are you feeling about this?”

Posted on September 29, 2020

Not The Fun One

My husband has been a volunteer with our church youth group for well over a decade. He is dependable, consistent, and takes his role to share the gospel seriously. He teaches Sunday School, leads small group study, chaperones lock-ins and youth retreats… you name it, he’s done it. However, he is not the fun one.

Posted on Septber 23, 2020

Wet Footprints

The trail of wet footprints led from my bathroom to the stairs. Many small puddles proving that my seven year old did not dry off after his shower.

Posted on July 15, 2020