A scream whirled from an alley across the street, punctuated by barked obscenities. Rubbish tinged the bitter wind pricking up the fine hairs on Laina's clammy arms. The bar-enforced door slammed shut behind her. A shudder slithered up her spine and niggled at her scalp as Arden clicked his key into the…
Pounding footsteps and silhouettes raced past the sheet-curtained alley windows. A battery of obscenities rattled in their wake. The crunch of flesh triggered groans. Laina crept toward the window. "I think someone's getting hurt." "Best stay clear of the windows after dark." Arden took an empty margarine tub from the shelf and…
The Last Supper, also known as Maundy Thursday: "When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, 'I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds…
"'Now announce to the army, Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained" (Judges 7:3). Imagine living in a nation oppressed by enemy forces. An army double the size your your population sweeps through neighborhoods, looting homes and murdering…
"The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship. Day and night they keep on telling about God" (Psalm 19:1-2). Tender grass bursts from the earth. Glimmering beetles scurry up to lily pinnacles and raise their antennae. My favorite gnarled oak ascends from a velvety…
"Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume;…
"children running and shouting through the Temple, 'Hosanna to David’s Son!' . . . Jesus said, 'Yes, I hear them. And haven’t you read in God’s Word, ‘From the mouths of children and babies I’ll furnish a place of praise’?'” (Matthew 21:15-16). Easter dawned on the horizon as Christ marched through formidable gates to…
We landed in Manhattan in search of great Christmas cheer. We strode among holiday shoppers and dined beside neighborly locals. Our eyes sparkled in the brilliance of tree lights and glamorous storefronts. Unbeknownst to us, a shadow rolled across the city. In the midst of preparing for the celebration of a…
Snowflakes dove from high clouds, mimicking their northern sisters who had successfully decorated the landscape for Christmas. Tropical breezes dissolved the flurry into tiny droplets. The parched earth embraced the saturated air. Glimmering mist kissed tree trunks, leaves, and noses of all who turned out to receive it. Heaven's dew returned to…
The world headlines scream with grueling details of torture and slaying of helpless innocents. The nation roils as hateful chants billow across a land erupting with violence. Local newscasts reveal cases of abuse and oppression lurk behind neighboring doors, too. Disease, poverty, and despair buzzes throughout the social media posts and text messages we…