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[..]
My daughter Shelby thanked me for providing her with a sheltered and mostly joyous childhood. She was prompted to do so shortly after I shared my latest dream with her. The dream came to me in a dozing stage, that early sleep when you are[..]
[caption id="attachment_3846" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Photo by Julie Utterback[/caption] Church was hard today. I woke this morning with a prayer on my mind, or maybe praying outright. Who can know for sure when one is woken? It was a prayer for Pastor Ken and his[..]
Karen's Note: The following is a post from a veteran-turned-pastor friend. Many of you regular readers are already familiar with Roger. Please feel free to share your thoughts with him. I know he'd like to engage with you on these matters. Roger lives and serves in[..]
It's the time now when I have finished one book and about to get started on another. It's time for resetting. A time where I prepare for book tour. This last book in the Appalachian series will include a talk/presentation for ancestry buffs, so I'm[..]
Millennial. We were like you once, Not so very long ago. We, after all, were the ones who taught you the words of The B-I-B-L-E And how deep and wide is Our Father's Love. You aren't the first, you know, to raise the issues We[..]
[caption id="attachment_1506" align="aligncenter" width="373"] Jesus in the Kudzu[/caption] He wears tats upon his thin frame and silver studs on his lips. His jeans fall inches below his gray Calvin underwear. The first day I spoke with him, he wasn't wearing a shirt. He was[..]
It is Good Friday. A term that has always seemed like an oxymoron to me. I mean, if you are going to be nailed to a cross, for any reason whatsoever, that does not seem like a particularly good day for anybody. Oh, I know,[..]
I took an ailing veteran to the VA Center in Boise, Idaho this week. He's a young fellow, in his mid-forties. A big lug of a guy, 6' 3", and hauling around too much weight on his broken frame of a body. Twenty years ago,[..]
