When we first took our cat to the vet, he told us to keep her nails clipped. Mowgli, our half-feral kitten who had come galloping out of a patchy swamp in the country woods, was affectionate but not cooperative. Call it her independent streak or chalk it up to her wild roots, but anytime we […]
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It was my turn to teach the sixth graders at youth group last Monday night. To prepare, I braced myself and read over the lesson on the love of God. When it came time to pull the four students aside, I found myself facing a squirrelly bunch. We opened our Bibles to the right passage. […]
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My seven-year-old looked adorable in his basketball jersey. It hung down way past his waist, but he didn’t care. He was too excited for his first day of the basketball program through our YMCA: skills assessment day. He was one of the most enthusiastic participants on the gym floor, and we cheered him on from […]
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A quick internet search will give you lots of tips and tricks for more efficient morning and evening routines. We are all busy, and we all want to make time for what matters to us, or at least automate those daily tasks that need to be accomplished so that we are free to do other […]
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In our family, the day after Thanksgiving officially marks the day we start decorating for and preparing for the Christmas season. After a cup of strongly brewed coffee, I set about the task of digging out the Christmas boxes from our garage. I unfolded our tree from its resting place. My husband helped me string […]
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On a random Wednesday last month, I was so excited to go to the San Diego Zoo BY MYSELF that I practically kicked my kindergartner and his big brother out of the car at school drop off. The San Diego Zoo is expansive and I couldn’t wait to meander, saunter, and amble my way through […]
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We moved to France when I was seven. My parents had signed on to become lifetime missionaries and I was along for the ride. There were moments I definitely wanted to get off that missionary kid ride, and other moments when I wouldn’t trade the thrill of it for anything. But every October 31st that […]
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My inner-16 year old made an appearance last Monday. I thought that I had left her behind, with all of her neediness and angst, but she followed me upstairs when I got home late from youth group. The house was dark and quiet as I crawled into bed beside my husband. My younger self wanted […]
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As I was in the shower one day last week, Henry, my five year old, poked his head around the door. “Mommy? Where’s that empty box of cereal?” Uh oh. “I threw it away!” I said. “It’s in the dumpster now!” I couldn’t see his face from behind the shower curtain but I could hear […]
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Sometimes, God talks to us in a burning bush, like he did with Moses, and sometimes he speaks to us through a still, small whisper as he did with Elijah. But how does God speak to us today? When we think about hearing from God, we might limit his voice to what we find in […]
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Sarah K. Butterfield 