Category Archives: Uncategorized

Kaitlin Walsh For this blog, I was asked a simple prompt: We’ve found ourselves still living in the midst of a global pandemic. Death tolls rise and restrictions remain. And yet, God, too, is steadfast. What is God revealing to you so you know He is Trustworthy, Beautiful, and Good?  Immediately my mind went toContinue reading “Good Mood Gift”

Betsy Tubbs My son began attending Morning Star Academy as a 3-year-old preschooler.  He came home from his first day of school and told his Dad and me that “School was fun, except for the work part.”  This was the beginning of a challenging educational journey through MSA up to his graduation!  School can beContinue reading “Stay the Course”

Mary Sievers The week of March 8th, 2020 feels like one that will be engrained in my memories for the rest of my days. “Coronavirus” had become a household term, the jokes were clogging our Facebook feeds, and cruise ships coming back to the United States were being quarantined. My husband had been telling meContinue reading “One Day at a Time”

Amanda Dean Eight-and-a-half weeks ago on a Friday night I gathered with some of my girlfriends at a local restaurant to celebrate two of our birthdays. We lingered at the table for several hours, the atmosphere was busy and full of laughter and conversation. No one was wearing a mask. Two days later my familyContinue reading “Quarantine Heat”

Kat Carter Having just retired from the Army within days of the COVID-19 quarantine (yes, God’s timing is perfect!), I’m still somewhat in the military mindset.  In the Army, we typically document significant operations with an After Action Review (AAR). Oftentimes, an AAR is abbreviated with “three ups and three downs.”  Looking back after nearlyContinue reading “A few thoughts from our foxhole:”

Reid Walters The Christian tradition is rich with liturgies and practices designed to bring the practitioner closer to their Heavenly Father. One such practice is that of Lectio Divina. Lectio Divina, Latin for divine reading, is composed of four equally important parts: Lectio, Meditatio, Contemplatio, and Oratio. In order, these terms translate too: read, reflect,Continue reading “COVID-19 and Lectio Divina”

‘Work’ by Ford Madox Brown Brenda Porter Cold Case is a mid-2000s procedural drama about a homicide unit in the Philadelphia Police Department—great pandemic viewing for those who like this genre. As the detectives investigate unsolved murders, they’re forced to confront violence, brutality, hatred, greed, and injustice. Some days, they are overwhelmed. At the heightContinue reading “Just Do Your Job”

Kaitlin Walsh I call this watercolor painting, “Front Lines”. It portrays a cloud of coronavirus parasites as they start to engulf a healthcare professional. The individual, though, is protected by a subtle yellow glow, representing the indomitable spirit and the mental fortitude these brave soldiers have when facing the virus head-on.  I painted this severalContinue reading “Front Lines”

Kendra Thompson When considering options for the kids’ schooling, I read Leigh Bortins’ The Core about the classical Christian education model and the homeschooling approach. I’ve appreciated it for a while now because the goal of classical Christian education involves more than fulfilling state-sanctioned objectives; the aim is to instill a love of lifelong learning.Continue reading “Plumbers Who Love Milton”

Rob Spykstra Today, many of us will be doing something for the first time ever . . . celebrating Easter alone. I don’t mean totally alone — I, like you, will have my immediate family — but yet isolated and away from my church family in whom I am connected by something deeper than bloodContinue reading “Isolation and Easter Hope”