You Didn’t Know My Grandma

You didn’t know my Grandma. I mean, perhaps you did—I do think she had outsized influence for a girl who grew up without a daddy in Manheim, Pennsylvania—but as a whole, she lived her life outside the notice of the world. It was a small, faithful life, rich in family and hospitality and love—for Jesus and her fellow man. “If […]

There’s a Drought in My Hymnal

This morning, on Facebook, I posted the following as a status update: So, I always feel a bit perturbed when we sing hymns of the early 20th Century in Church. It is not that I dislike singing hymns, just that I’ve never thought the first half of the 20th Century particularly fertile soil for hymn-writers. I think to myself, “There […]

When change and tears are past

This past week or so have been difficult. My Grandma Givens was in the hospital. She’s out now, and back in the skilled care area of the village where she lives, but we know she’s not well and we don’t know if she’ll be with us ten more days or ten more years. There’s not much more wrong with her […]