The evidence was overwhelming. We followed something that we feared. Panthertown Valley is just outside Cashiers, North Carolina, USA. Those who are looking for a directional sign will be disappointed. But my brother and I had …( read more )

Living a stress-free life is impossible. Women report that they experience stress because of the following reasons: contradictory feelings, changing expectations, new freedoms but fewer options, guilt over working outside the home, too …( read more )

I stood with a bag of potatoes beside me, a knife in my hand, and what appeared like eternity in front of me. Carpal tunnel surgery had not slowed my wife down much — and I was glad, since she was our cook at church for Wednesday night …( read more )

He made a promise to his best friend, but now his friend lay dead on a mountaintop. Davey and Johnny were best buds and had been since they were young. Davey's family farmed while Johnny's came from the upper class. Despite their …( read more )

Sometimes, chickens leave behind more than eggs and meat. My maternal grandmother had a dozen or so chickens wandering around her yard. At night, she enclosed them in a small pen, complete with a coop. There, they slept and laid eggs. …( read more )

He pulled up a chair, sat down beside me, and raised his left arm in the air. Our church hosted its first Craft Fair. A good number of vendors signed up, set up, and enjoyed interacting with customers — along with selling them products. …( read more )

Had I created mine, I would have shortened the length and made it narrower. The nose is an interesting part of the body's anatomy. I've heard that it continues to grow as a person ages, and I have seen a number of elderly senior adults …( read more )

Though I had never seen this person before, I trusted him to guide me for the next hour. My wife and I were on vacation in the mountains of Tennessee, USA, and we wanted to visit somewhere that we hadn't gone before. Forbidden Caverns …( read more )

"I'm in the middle of the road with a flat tire. Can you tell Dad to come and help me?" My daughter was under the gun. She had given her landlord notice that she was moving out by the month's end. Though she took a few days off from …( read more )

When I was a teenager, I heard voices. "Let's get drunk," said the first voice. The 1970s were in full force. Drinking seemed to be a way of life, so I agreed. And since this voice represented acceptance by my peers, I justified my …( read more )

My job was taxing but fulfilling. Deciding whether or not to leave was difficult. Five years had passed since I'd been employed by a local county. I began as a teller and had moved up to supervisor. Though some days found me wishing for …( read more )

As we turned out of the parking lot, I knew that it would be the last time. Both of my paternal grandparents' sides of the family had annual family reunions, but my family rarely attended. I barely knew many of those who did — people …( read more )

None of us had ever experienced what we were about to. Eight couples from our church travelled to a cabin in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA, for a marriage retreat. My wife and I had stayed in several cabins over the years. Some we …( read more )

Worry and anxiety are bedfellows that often show up together. Kelita sat in her car, gunning the engine but going nowhere. There was good reason. The gearshift was in neutral. She burned fuel and fogged up the garage in which the car …( read more )

Being told to submit wasn't as easy as the process itself. Like most children, I chafed at times under my parents' authority. As a child, I accepted that they were always right. As I got older, I questioned some of their rules and …( read more )

My wife and I are quickly moving towards being patriarch and matriarch of our family. Though I try not to think about it, I know that the time is approaching when my mother and my in-laws will die. I remember the sorrow that I felt when …( read more )

Regardless of how many times that I explained the concept, some continued to misunderstand and make mistakes. Correctly punctuating compound sentences — or independent clauses — was one of the simplest yet most difficult concepts that …( read more )

Regardless of where she went, she couldn't find comfort. Leah and her husband were never apart. They even volunteered at the same place after they retired. Both appeared to be in good health, so you can imagine Leah's shock when her …( read more )

Never had I witnessed sorrow bring such a transformation. When times of deep sorrow strike, many choose the road of bitterness toward God. "If God's as good as you claim, why did … ," they ask. And I've wondered the same thing when …( read more )

Wondering why often leaves us wondering. I sat in the car with my daughter's two children while my wife underwent a physical test. The three-year-old sat in the front seat with me, biding his time and asking questions. "Pop, what is …( read more )

To help or not to help, that was the question. He stood at a busy intersection, holding a sign that we couldn't read. Although the town where we live is modest in size, recently we've seen more homeless and indigent people standing on …( read more )

I dropped the pan on the floor and was rewarded with a loud scream. When our son was an infant, I was concerned that his hearing had been affected by ear infections. Rather than take him to the pediatrician, I decided to perform a home …( read more )

"Have you anointed her and prayed for her healing?" my friend asked. My wife suffers with various physical ailments — too many, in fact, for her young age. She has undergone numerous surgeries to remove tumours that could have turned …( read more )

The sign read, "House for Rent. Hot and Cold Running Water." Though laughable now, there was a time when having indoor plumbing was a luxury that only the wealthy knew anything about. Water was drawn from a well or creek and was carried …( read more )

Getting shoppers sidetracked is a retailer's dream come true. Moving isn't fun, but we had no choice. After a long day of sweating in the hot, humid temperatures of a South Carolina August, my wife and I showered and readied ourselves to …( read more )

I was young when I learned that "chicken" wasn't necessarily a chicken. Chickens ran around my grandmother's yard during the day and were locked up in the coop at night. But if my cousin asked me to do something that I was scared to do …( read more )

When you have a Type A personality — always needing to be doing something — taking a break isn't easy. I've never been one to sit and twiddle my thumbs. Sitting and doing nothing makes me feel lazy. Since I have only so much time in …( read more )

The day appeared calm enough, but the elements soon released their hidden fury. My brother and I — along with my daughter — set out early for a ten-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail. At the five-mile point, we planned to set up camp …( read more )

I turn God into whatever I think of Him. Dad was a harsh disciplinarian — at least when I was young. I'm not sure where his ideas of discipline sprang from, because he didn't copy the pattern of his parents or grandparents. Dad went by …( read more )

What others consider misfits, God often considers fits. My father served as interim pastor for a small, struggling church after he retired. Once a thriving church on the local lake, it now struggled to survive. Dad tried to get them to …( read more )

She had been abused and needed a safe place. Johnnie was in a situation of her own making. For thirteen years, she had endured an abusive marriage — one she had entered merely to be on her own and make her own life. Jim had seemed like …( read more )

I hated school, so I decided to quit. Elementary and middle school, I enjoyed, but when I got to high school, a sudden distaste evolved. By the time I reached my senior year, I'd had all I could take. I had no interest in learning, …( read more )

Sorrow can be a bitter pill to swallow, and I felt as if I were being swallowed by it. Days stretched into months. An act of betrayal by another had turned my family inside out and headed it straight for dissolution. Though the situation …( read more )