Jesus: Light Of Our World
This time of year the story is everywhere. Over two millennia ago, God Himself became flesh. But Jesus didn’t come to earth to enter your perfect, Instagram life. He didn’t come into your high ideals or perfectionism. Jesus isn’t seen in your flawless relationships or immaculate homes. In fact, He doesn’t feel welcomed in your…
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Update from Duane–December 3, 2019
Hello Friends, In spite of the challenges our family has faced, I am humbled and extremely grateful for the past three months of our lives. God has a way of changing us when we face pain in our lives and need to rearrange our plans and trust Him in a greater way. We usually have…
[ Read More ]Preparing For The Holidays… One Thing You Shouldn’t Neglect
I was driving alone. My heart heavy with discouragement, a feeling as dark as the cool, night sky. Suffocating feelings of confusion and pain were the unwanted companions that I could almost touch. The never-ending health struggles our children were facing made the future look bleak and impossible. My heart-transplanted son was facing cancer and the…
[ Read More ]Broken: A Letter to my Heart-Transplanted Daughter
I saw your tiny body quivering, gasping for each bit of life support available in the sterile Intensive Care Unit. Your heart was sick. Broken. Unable to sustain more than the first three months of your life. The unnatural, methodical rising and falling of your chest was unable to comfort my own breaking heart. Sounds…
[ Read More ]Update from Duane–November 19, 2019
Hello from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Our family has been making Tulsa our home for the past ever; weeks as we’ve been getting treatment here for our daughter, Alisha. Although her health struggles are complicated and we haven’t seen the improvements as quickly as we would’ve liked, we thank God for the changes we’re beginning to see….
[ Read More ]Is Respecting Our Men Still Important?
Since we’ve just celebrated Father’s Day, my mind has been drawn to our relationships with the men in my life. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been blessed with a wonderful dad, husband, son (now deceased) and father-in-law. But no matter their ages, personality, or life experiences, I’ve seen each of them demonstrate the…
[ Read More ]Update from Duane–June 20, 2019
Summer greetings! We are celebrating life and enjoying spending the month of June at home. Our two youngest, Chantaya and Kyra are loving their summer break from school, and the rest of us are grateful for their assistance around the house. They are also able to focus more on their music lessons during this time….
[ Read More ]–IF ONLY–dealing with painful regrets
If you’re at all like me, there have been times in your life when you’ve struggled with regrets. Times where the torment of your “if only’s” robbed you of peace and squelched your joy. I’ve certainly felt the misery these two words can inflict. After all, what kind of a mom is absently baking a…
[ Read More ]Update from Duane–May 29, 2019
Greetings from our home here in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. Some exciting growth, changes, and projects are in the making, and while I can’t share everything now, the next few months will reveal them. We will be staying home most of this summer, so we have settled in and have dug into these…
[ Read More ]Update from Duane–May 9, 2019
Hello from North Carolina. Our visit to Pennsylvania last week was full and purposeful. We were grateful to New Covenant Church who provided a place for us to park while in the area. We enjoyed the ministry planning and reporting meetings as well as connecting with many people in the Lancaster area. Cindy and I…
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