Christianity, Everyday Life, Stories
I lost two sons, at opposite ends of the age spectrum. The first, Russell, was a full-term baby, born in June of 1982 with a diaphragmatic hernia. He died the same day he was born. The second, Cullen, was 32 years old at the time of his death from an accidental overdose of heroin and …
Continue reading “Life-Changing Lessons I Have Learned From the Deaths of My Two Children”
What is a life-shattering moment? I am not referring to disappointments here, but rather to what author Bruce Feiler in his book, Life is in the Transitions, calls “lifequakes”. These are the devastating, destabilizing, disorienting events of life. Like earthquakes, lifequakes are often accompanied by aftershocks. How do you go on? Where do you turn …
Continue reading “How Do You Handle Life-Shattering Moments?”
June 5th, 2020. Today, had he lived, Russell would have been 38 years old. The day was June 5th, 1982; we had a new baby, a new member of the Simon family; a new beginning. I delivered our third son early on a bright, sunny Saturday morning. The “Smurfs” cartoon was playing on television, it …
Continue reading “A Beginning, An Ending, and Another Beginning – Our Adoption Story”
Today I read a devotion by Lysa Terkeurst and realized something about myself; something that wasn’t pretty. I don’t always want what God provides. I want more, or something different, or I just don’t like what He chooses to provide at all. Yahweh-Yireh (Jehovah Jireh), is the name of God meaning “God will provide.” I …
I think it was sometime last week in my “read through the Bible in slightly less than a year” plan that I came across a reading in 1 Kings 14 that I’d either never read previously or that for the first time, the Holy Spirit impressed this particular passage on my mind. As I continued …
There have been a few times in my life when the overwhelming presence and peace of God filled my heart. On April 8th of this year I experienced this, and as only the Lord can do, the experience was uniquely tailored to my circumstances. First of all, you need to know what April 8th means …
As I think back over the past month or two, I can’t help but reflect upon how very different life is today from what I expected it to be. Who among us would have thought we would be limited to being in the company of no more than ten people, sitting or standing at least …
It Is What It Is