Until Next Time

I’m a seasonal blogger, and this most recent season–chatting about issues and ideas related to Stranger Things–has come to an end. I’ll be spending the next few months focused on Motherless, about a brother and sister forced to question the presumed suicide of their mother seventeen years earlier. Keep an eye on my Books page for sample chapters, coming soon.

Also, another new novel is in the works, and I’ll be sharing the title and teasers soon in a future issue of my ..read more

Attending to Angels

Thanks to my parents, the home of my childhood was such a welcoming place that people who came to visit often entered without knocking or ringing the bell. My parents still are hospitable people, generous with their food, long dinner table, and extra bedrooms, regardless of how well they know the people who need these things. They’ve fed friends of friends, housed missionaries and others passing through town, and shared Christmas with people they’ve never met.

I, on the other hand, ..read more

How Much Do You Have (to Give)?

Some time ago I was educating myself about what local organizations are doing to help end sex trafficking and assist its victims. Almost every group I encountered had web pages that described what average Joes and Janes like me can do to participate in the effort. I came across one group that places (as many do) a high value on prayer. Pray, I thought—I can do that. I read on. This group has organized prayer meetings that meet monthly—wonderful. I ..read more

Shed the Fear

It seems that making New Year’s resolutions is passé, and the trend du jour is to define one’s attitude toward the year in a single word. As it turns out, there’s an entire book and website devoted to this concept. I guess I’m late to the party (but not fashionably).

I’m not fully on board with the idea that one word can change a life (except perhaps the name Jesus), but I like the notion of looking into the future hopefully. ..read more

Your Small Efforts Make a Huge Difference

December 31 marks the release of my new novel Stranger Things, the story of a small band of strangers working to bring down a human trafficking in the American Southwest. January 1 marks the first day of Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

Last week Fox News published an opinion piece I wrote about how I came to this topic.  I’ve since been accused by one critic of using “feigned compassion” to “sell books.” Look, I’d much rather save lives than sell books. If you have ..read more

A Messy but Beautiful Meeting

Today, snow is falling outside and I’m tucked away indoors, drinking a cup of hot black coffee. The family budget is tight, but somehow we always find we have more than enough to give, to eat, to celebrate. I want to stretch out time, but the days are shorter than ever. The materialism of our culture gets brighter and shines its garish light on the poverty that lives here too.

At Christmastime, the contrasts of life butt up against each other ..read more

What’s Holding You Back?

Here’s the truth: Sometimes the last thing I want to do is reach out to strangers who might need my help. I’m introverted and easily overwhelmed by symptoms of our technological age—I’m flooded with information and global news. Being exposed to the volume of crises going on in the world tends to paralyze me rather than spur me to action. Far from making me feel informed and empowered, I feel impotent to solve the world’s many problems. I don’t know ..read more