“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord” (Jam. 5:7). Driving an open highway feels free and easy. The rhythm is simple, even relaxing, as prairie fields stretch across the horizon on repeat. Without noticing, we can adopt this picture as our expectation for life. We don’t anticipate conflict, disruption, or detours; we crave the smooth, effortless path. I remember in my very young, very green missionary days assuming that God wouldn’t let things get tha

Happy Friday! This week I went back to the basics—right to the “beginner” recipes. No kneading. An overnight rise. A simple dough that didn’t require technique so much as willingness. I made two loaves by hand and one in the bread machine. A small spark of motivation, that’s all it took. Three loaves later, we’ve been eating fresh bread all week. Other than the unexpectedly dark crust on one of them, there were no complaints. Only the quiet delight of something homemade, some

The front door swings open. She drops her backpack with a discouraged huff. I step toward her, smiling, words gentle enough to steady her frustration. “She says she won’t be my friend anymore if I’m friends with the new girl.” Tears and hugs follow. I exhale my own quiet frustration. Childhood power struggles at their finest. You raise your kids to see the outsider, to notice the lonely, to comfort the hurting—yet when kindness prevails, adversity often follows. Soothing her