Never Alone

“OK, Mom. Have a nice time at church tonight. I’ll try to get over a little early to help you with the meal tomorrow.”  Ellen frowned at the phone. “I don’t plan to go to church tonight.” “But it’s Christmas Eve. Why wouldn’t you go to church?” Tori’s voice was...

Cleaning Up

The car shuddered to a halt along the dusty highway. “No, no, no!” Rachel pounded the steering wheel. She’d forgotten to fill the tank. She slumped against the driver’s seat. Now what? She was five miles past the outskirts of town, and there was never much traffic...

Living to Serve

“Do you need anything before I head over to the church? I need to mow the lawn.” Daniel glanced up from his college application to find Dad leaning on the doorframe of his room. “Why do you do that?” Dad’s brow furrowed. “Do what? Mow the lawn at church? Because it...

Lessons from Leaves

 Jake hauled another tarp full of leaves back to the woods. As he returned to the yard, he groaned. There were still so many piles. At least he wasn’t alone. He made his way over to the table with the snacks and drinks. He downed a water bottle and rubbed the sweat...

Above the Storm

Kim paced in front of the huge glass windows as the rain streamed down. What a depressing day. Brian approached, a takeout bag in hand. “Hungry?” Kim shrugged. “A little, I guess.” “Well, it’s a long flight, and the airline snacks won’t fill you up.” Kim glanced back...

Never Too Busy

             Christina checked in with the receptionist and found a seat in the waiting room. Dr. Marshall was a great doctor, but because she spent so much time with each patient, the wait was usually long. Christina reached into her purse to pull out her phone, but...