It happened to me twice last week.
Both times completely unexpected.
One from a friend. One from a total stranger.
Both times brought tears to my eyes.
Handwritten notes of appreciation and encouragement.
When is the last time you were on the receiving end of genuine encouragement? Isn’t it a wonderful mix of good feelings? Someone noticed. Someone cares. Someone took time to say [...]

He was 7 months old when I got him. A happy, furry, pure white bounce of energy. A girl in my church was moving back east and couldn’t have pets where she was going. So I bought him for $75. A purebred AKC registered American Eskimo dog. Opening the door of the car, he jumped in the front seat [...]

It’s 8:27 AM. I’m running 5 minutes late. Grab the keys, pull the door shut behind me and hit the garage door button on the way out. The motor drones and plays the familiar tune of creaking and rolling and lifting, the morning anthem that starts my day.
A double glance in the rear view mirror (I’ve heard the stories about people backing before looking) tells [...]

Thursday morning westbound on Loop 289. It’s school morning drive time. They’re in the back seat, munching on a Granny Smith apple. So far we’ve discussed what Jesus is doing in heaven right now, where He’s sitting up there and is He tall enough to step right over the city of Lubbock.
The girls and I have a way [...]

In a letter written to Arthur Greeves and dated December 29, 1935, C.S. Lewis penned the following thoughts on the topic of friendship:
“Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods. Certainly to me it is the chief happiness of life. If I had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think [...]

In the aftermath of my relocation to Texas I’ve spent evenings going through all the boxes in the garage, merging and purging as the items dictate. I think it was Erma Bombeck who said, “When you see how quickly things accumulate on their own, you wonder why you bother to save anything on purpose.”
Among the boxes I came [...]

Block walls. Cocooning. We name our housing developments but often don’t know our neighbors.
By God’s design, we are social creatures created for relationship. Strong friendships allow us to experience life in community.
How round robin letters and Ritz Crackers are proof of life long friendships.
(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 9/12/2004)