All Articles By
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MarriageAdvice to new brides
“Oh, a coffee maker! Just what Peter and I need – thank you so much!” Bridal showers are a fun, valuable tradition. The bride-to-be’s family,…
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Soup and BunsIf only there was a way to avoid life’s traffic jams…
Mile after long mile, the cars on the eastbound turnpike lined up because of a multi-vehicle accident. Initially, I was glad to be traveling westbound…
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Dating8 reasons you should not have sex outside of marriage
Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. They smile, they joke, they like each other. Boy and girl have sex. If they are really conservative, they…
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Assorted“It’s only a dollar!” – on bingos and raffles
Some churches hold bingos and sell raffle tickets, so can gambling really be wrong? ***** “I think we should have a bingo night to raise…
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AssortedWhy write?
You might not make a lot of money writing, but you can have an impact ***** It’s been said that all that is needed to…
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Being the ChurchOn encouraging courage
Part of God’s equipping us to courage also involves rightly understanding what real courage is ***** Fear. We all feel it at times. We might…
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Economics – Home FinancesFrugalship: 37 ways to save a buck
Frugal: to be careful about spending money or using things when you do not need to; using money or supplies in a very careful way;…
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Recent ArticlesPoise, aka self-control
“When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.” – Proverbs 10:19 ***** The lights inside the large…
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AssortedWhat makes a person instantly unattractive?
I asked this question on a Facebook page for secular women over 60 years of age: “What makes a person instantly unattractive?” I was intrigued…
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AssortedComplaining: our national pastime
Long ago, people were taught not to complain. In addition, being selfless, giving, and kind was applauded as the way that a person should live….
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AssortedKeeping Christ in Christmas: 12 ideas for honoring God in our Christmas festivities
There’s no more exciting time than Christmas. Reflecting on the birth of Christ, gifts, lights, decorations, music, special foods, and time spent with family and…
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Book ReviewsSir Badalot and the Cranky Danky Dragon
by Rachel Jankovic Illustrated by Forrest Dickison 32 pages / 2022 Rating: GOOD/Great/Give “Now this cranky danky dragon Liked to drink a dragon whine That he…
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AssortedGetting old(er)
“Getting older is so tough – I get tired after just a small amount of work or fun.” “I lost 4 teeth right after I…
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Adult non-fictionOn writing (and writers): a miscellany of advice and opinions
by C.S. Lewis 2022 / 191 pages Not everyone can attend a Christian Writers’ Conference, or take graduate-level writing classes. But if you like to…
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Dating10 questions to discuss when “interviewing” someone for marriage
These 10 questions were crafted for Reformed Harmony by Taylor DeSoto, with the hope that they could provide guidance for prospective couples to get to…
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Being the ChurchMaking hospitality easier: how onion dip changed the world
Everyone has likely tasted onion dip and millions of homemakers have made it. The recipe is incredibly simple: mix dried onion soup mix with 2…
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Recent ArticlesFriends or acquaintances?
Loneliness can make you pretty sad. In lonely times, you may ponder your relationships and realize that they are superficial. Perhaps you have wanted to…
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AssortedHow to have a proper conversation
or, Confessions of a Loquacious Person ***** Loquacious: tending to talk a great deal We might all think that we know how to have a…
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ParentingKeeping in touch with the grands
“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged…” Prov. 17:6a “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,” Prov. 13:22a It used to be…
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AssortedGetting used to a new church
The time may come when you must leave the church you grew up in and become a member elsewhere. Let me be clear: I’m not…
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Parenting“Mom, where’s my toothbrush?” 9 packing tips for before and during the trip
The well-circulated belief that “moms are supposed to know where everything is at every given moment” was humorously illustrated for me two years ago when…
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Parenting8 tips for traveling with the family
My favorite travel anecdote came from Reader’s Digest years ago. An older woman felt overwhelmed while packing to go to Florida with her husband. She…
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ParentingIs Cleanliness next to Godliness?
My goal is to have every room of my house neat and clean at the same time. But I do not believe that “cleanliness is…
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Parenting10 games you can play with your toddler without having to roll off the sofa
A young relative has two toddlers, and our conversation reminded me of some useful strategies from those wonderful and exhausting days. While I don’t miss…
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Christian educationOn public schools: evangelism is not discipleship
A few years ago, at a Ligonier Conference, Pastor Voddie Baucham was asked what he would say to parents who were weighing the option of…
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Soup and BunsHow to approach a porcupine
Some Christians seem quite like porcupines. They are so bristly and sharp that people are reluctant to come close to them for fear of getting…
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DramaEnd of the Spear
Drama 2005 / 108 minutes Rating: 7/10 This review first appeared in the January 2006 issue How does a Christian group succeed in presenting a…
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Pro-life – AbortionThe wonder of the womb
If you haven’t seen any of the YouTube videos of Dr. Kristin Collier talking about the unborn, you’ve missed out. This Christian physician and University…
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ParentingParenting: many different approaches – only one set of guiding principles
Empty threats – that’s what they are called – and some are more ridiculous than others. I once overheard an employee at Target, a young…
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Soup and Buns“Lord, how can I help?”
There’s a difference between doing what is right because you have always been told to do so, and doing it from your heart. There’s a…
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Soup and BunsShould Introverts be expected to act like Extroverts?
“You are a wonderful person and I like you. But now please shush.” This quotation from a tongue-in-cheek article by Jonathan Rauch in The Atlantic…
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Soup and BunsDo not worry…
Cheer up, ye saints of God, there’s nothing to worry about! Nothing to make you feel afraid, nothing to make you doubt. Remember Jesus never…
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Church historyRome’s Catacombs art was created to encourage fellow Christians
Imagine a vast, underground series of zigzagging passageways covering an area several miles in length, 590 acres in size. Ponder the amount of work that…
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Christian educationDo what the guru says? Public schools are spiritual too.
If I’ve ever wondered why we spend so much effort on our Christian education, it’s become clearer recently, since I’ve been doing some substitute teaching…
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DatingReformed Harmony: a new tool promotes friendship…and sometimes marriage
“We’ll love you until somebody else does.” This light-hearted, rather amusing slogan belongs to the Facebook phenomenon known as Reformed Harmony (hereafter RH). It is…
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AssortedWhen we have to parent our parents: help and hope for caregivers
Paul pulled the car into the driveway. “Okay, Dad, now stay there and I’ll come around and help you out of the car.” “Okay.” Paul put…