Author: Karen Lynema

With spring's arrival, and since I need to do it anyway, I've been cleaning out our closets. The kids have grown, so some of their items are being handed down or handed over to ministries that can help them find new homes. I'm trying to … Read more

Last year, I had surgery on my neck, due to a disc pressing on my spinal cord. For numerous reasons, I was not looking forward to it. I was scared of surgery — not because I thought something would happen, but just the fact of the … Read more

I have a problem with judging distance; I always have, as far as I know. Overall, this has not caused too many problems, except for some with driving and parking — to which my family will attest! One of my biggest problems has always … Read more

In the Bible, it was Thomas: Today, it could be any one of us. We can read the Bible, we can feel God's presence and peace, but that little feeling of doubt is never too far away. Thomas didn't just … Read more

Recently, I felt that I had lost a sense of peace and balance in my life. Life was coming at me way too fast, one day blurring into the next, and I realized how long it had been since I'd … Read more

My son and I were doing devotions recently, and the subject of persecuted Christians came up. He asked me if that really happens. We talked about how there are places in the world where people have to meet in secret to have church because they risk … Read more

As my daughter and I wait for her bus in the morning before school, we often play with shadows. She tries to make her shadow look taller than mine. We step on each other's shadows. Our shadows do what we … Read more

My mother told me that when I was a small girl, I had a hard time figuring out what "free" meant. I would ask, "How much is 'free'?" Everything has to "cost" something, right? Now that I am a grown-up, … Read more

Impossible: Not capable of being accomplished. There are days when I feel like whatever I am trying to do or get done is impossible. Something or someone will get in the way of what I want to accomplish. Honestly, it … Read more

There are a few advantages to not having a dishwasher. I get plenty of time to think as I slow down to face the sink and the growing mound of dishes it holds. I get a feeling of accomplishment as … Read more