I’ve had trouble with my tongue for a long time. Ever since way back, it just won’t behave! (Ok, so those of you who have known me since back then, you’re nodding your heads and have great big smiles on your faces right about now!) More often than not, I have walked around with not only one, but with both feet stuck right smack-dab in the middle of my mouth. At times I’ve felt as if I’m the only one who understands what I’m saying, like nobody understands my language. Adding fuel to the “fire,” it seems that once we’ve been misunderstood a time or two, our next efforts at communication tend to overcompensate for that. We try hard not to be misunderstood again. But somehow, through the extensive verbiage that comes out of our mouths in an effort not to be misunderstood, we dig the hole even deeper. The more words we speak, the deeper the hole gets. Ever been there? Of course you have. Trust me … I understand! Read the rest of this entry »
“Would you like to move back to Iraan,” Jerry asked me. “Tommie & I have been praying about it ever since I made the decision to retire from Marathon. We believe that now is the time, and God is calling us into full-time prison ministry. Do you want to join us?” I had been working with Jerry & Tommie in prison ministry ever since they started … 15 years, at that point. So, of course I said, “Yessss!!!”
So began a long series of events which led to writing my first book, “One Foot On A Banana Peel.” “One Foot…” is a description of grief and an expression of the hope and healing that lie beyond trauma and tragedy. The simple experience of moving in itself can be a cause for grief, and I’m not so sure I wasn’t actually experiencing some of those emotions at the time. I had been widowed in March of 1988. Raising two young children, working and moving three times during the course of those years ~ yes, I wanted to continue in prison ministry, but I was also sure I was feeling some “trauma” over the upcoming move. Read the rest of this entry »