They say it is about God not the guns ... They say it's because America needs to humble itself before God. They say it's because we took prayer out of schools. They say it's because we are no-longer a God-fearing nation. They say it's because[..]
We took the train to Paisley. It's about an hour ride from Ayr. The two-way trip costs about $21 USD. Paisley is home to another University of West Scotland campus. A much larger campus, it is located about a 10-minute walk from the train[..]
We are starting out our New Year with one less family member. It was not a death that claimed him. Not a death in the typical sense at any rate, though, if I am completely honest, there have been moments when I think that[..]
Hardly anyone ever mentions the people we don't miss at the family gatherings. I don't mean those we love who have gone on to what I hope is an eternal celebration and not an eternal rest. I'm talking about the people who no longer gather[..]
I've been sitting on the porch listening to 60s hits to drown out the sound of the neighbors barking orders at each other as they build a fence. Two weeks ago, they cut down all the east facing trees that lined their driveway, sending the[..]
Editor's note: The artwork via Antioch Church in Bend, Oregon. The artwork is their Easter ministry. It is an outdoor drive-thru display depicting the message of the Gospel. As grandson Sawyer said, "God died for our sins. God is big." Yes, God is very, very[..]
While I never want to return to life in the trailer park, I am thankful that I was forced into that situation at an early age. No matter how chaotic our lives became in the wake of my father's death, there were always people around[..]
There are times when grief feels selfish. Today for instance, on the seventh anniversary of my mother's passing. It feels like an act of selfishness to even admit that I associate the holidays with her death, and that such an association leaves me feeling conflicted.[..]
Shortly after Mama died, I abandoned my position as a "Christian Blogger." Now I mostly refer to myself as a woman of bleak faith. I didn't leave my position as a Christian writer because I was angry at God. I wasn't. Mama's dying silenced[..]
Author/Journalist Karen Spears Zacharias is a Gold Star daughter and an alumni of Oregon State University.
Karen's work has been featured in the Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, National Public Radio, and Good Morning America.
Her debut novel, Mother of Rain (Mercer University Press), received the Weatherford Award for Best in Appalachian Fiction from Berea College and was adapted for the stage by Georgia's Historic State Theater, The Springer. In 2018, Karen was named Appalachian Heritage Writer by Shepherd University, and Mother of Rain was chosen as the One Book One West Virginia Read.
Her first true crime book A Silence of Mockingbirds was chosen by the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as the One City Read.
Karen's upcoming book The Murder Gene, is her second true crime work.
Karen and her husband, Tim, make their home in Deschutes County, Oregon.
For more information on Karen and her books, click here