Falling Trees and Book News

Falling Trees and Book News

It’s been quite the year for trees. Last summer, I had to take 4 down. Then two more fell right after Christmas. What’s going on with the trees? I had to find out. I learned that the type of tree that kept falling, a beautiful type of cypress, also had shallow roots, even at physical maturity. Although they’d grown tall and lush with evergreen foliage, their roots didn’t go very deep. Once rains and winds came for a few days, down they went. (My long-suffering neighbor has had two of them fall...
Welcome to Brenner Falls!

Welcome to Brenner Falls!

A new series is just around the corner, so stay tuned! I hope you’re enjoying the holiday season and the joy, family time, and busyness that brings. I enjoy decorating, baking, and inviting friends. But it can be tiring to do all that! Which makes it even more important to remember God’s Good Gift to us, Jesus, who is the one that changed everything in history and in our lives. That’s one of the meanings behind the title of my new book, Good Gifts, which will be available soon. I hope you’re...
Another Way to Flourish

Another Way to Flourish

Do you have a special theme word for 2022? I thought mine would be “flourish” because I’d chosen that one last year and wasn’t sure it had happened. So, I chose it again. But God gave me a different one: solidification. Not as pretty a word as “flourish”. “Flourish” conjures images of dew-kissed flowers and feathery ferns sprouting by a bubbling spring. There is a lot of plant imagery in Scripture, symbolizing growth and vitality as well as fruitfulness. What images does “solidification” bring...
Goodbye, 2021! (And Happy New Year!)

Goodbye, 2021! (And Happy New Year!)

Are you glad to see 2021 go away? (And didn’t we feel the same way after 2020?) This time we might be less optimistic as we transition to a new calendar year. After all, we had high hopes last year that Covid would be a thing of the past but here we find ourselves in the midst of a new variant. One day this post will be history, evidence of a scary time in our lives, only a bad memory. We’ll all say, “I’m glad that’s over!” But not yet. So, how do we face the coming year? With enthusiasm about...
Seasons and Other Changes

Seasons and Other Changes

I hope your month of October is as crisp, clear, and exhilarating as mine is. The leaves haven’t started turning yet, though the acorns have begun to fall. (I have 5 oak trees in my backyard!) You can hear the acorns pinging and clacking on the roof, carport, and any other hard surface. It doesn’t last long, then the fall symphony will change from sound to color. Can’t wait! It’s great weather for biking, and this year I decided to get more disciplined. Discipline is less necessary than I...