Living Water
Most of you have heard the saying, “Change your water, change your life.” I first encountered this phrase on the side of the building pictured above one sunny afternoon as I drove out of the neighborhood. Since then, I’ve heard it frequently from those selling or promoting water machines, as well as bottled water, water […]
The Girl Who Could
The word impossible – it means a myriad of different things to different people. The official definition from the Oxford Languages is “not able to occur, exist or be done.” This particular story is for a young lady who defied the odds and did what most would consider impossible. This story is for my dear […]
It’s Always Been You
There is something wonderful about mystery. The unexpected turns, the anonymous gift, the unidentified rescuer, the cliffhanger, all point to the allure of things hidden from our view. Mysterious moments are the ones that linger in our minds. This is the story of one of those moments. It was a warm fall day, an afternoon […]
Who You Are
Many years ago, a group of us were looking at the life of Moses. At the end of our time together, Anne, the one leading our group, did something quite creative. In keeping with Moses’ blessing of the tribes at the end of his life, she did the same. She gave each person a blessing […]
Coming Home
Let me start by giving you a description of the house in which I was raised. Imagine a small town of around 4,000 in the early 1960s. Kids played outside in the neighborhood without their parents knowing where they were. The main rule was to be home by dark. I rode my bike to school […]
Fearless
It is way too easy in life, to look back and see all the ways we could have done things differently. But in the middle of a crisis, the flurry of emotion and exhaustion often mixes together into a massive cloud of confusion. Our ability to see things clearly seems to evaporate and we run […]
What Do You Do With Loss?
What do you do with loss? The sense of loss is a powerful feeling. So powerful, that at times it can be overwhelming. It’s odd, because the word itself would imply we should somehow feel lighter, that we carry less because something is gone. Instead, when we lose someone or something we love, life becomes […]
What Faith Can Do
When I think of Tammy, I’d say the story started with a rainbow. Technically that’s not correct, but I would guess that if I asked our friends who were with us that year, they would agree. The first thing they would recall about Tammy was her excitement over learning the story of the first rainbow and what it meant. Perhaps that rainbow represented a beautiful sign of hope in an otherwise very difficult year.
Messy In The Middle
I’ve waited to do this story on Mike for quite some time. Why have I been waiting? Because I love happy endings. The nice tidy ones where everything falls into place and the underdog wins. The kind where what seems to be impossible happens and everybody walks away thinking the world is a wonderful place. […]
Unopened Letters
This Uncommon Story is the first where the person I am writing about will most likely choose to remain anonymous. But actually that flows into the story perfectly. That’s because this story is about things that don’t come out in the open – things hidden away, never read, never spoken, never done. Mainly this is […]
The Hardest Thing
Borrowing a phrase from a previous story, “It’s never too late,” I write this wishing the timing of this story would have been different – but unfortunately no one can change the course of events. Explaining that statement is something that will come later, but for now let me introduce you to the person this […]
A Father’s Love
The closer something is to your heart, the more difficult it is to tell the story. Perhaps that is because those memories are held and treasured in a place where love guards the door. For that reason, this may be a difficult story to tell because this particular story is about someone I love very […]
Endings and Beginnings
How to start? Beginnings are difficult for so many reasons. When we start something new, there must be something else that comes to an end. Often, we focus on one aspect of the journey at the cost of the other. We tend to concentrate on what ended and miss what’s beginning or just the opposite […]
Why Didn’t You Tell Me
Questions. Over the years, I have had many intriguing, thought-provoking, and sometimes difficult questions asked of me. But there were none more convicting than a question from an honest friend a few years ago. Her name was Marie and we had been in a study group together for several months when the question came up. […]
A Better Tomorrow
Some days are better than others. This particular day was hectic and busy. But as I passed by the school superintendent’s office, I couldn’t help but take a left and head in to say hi. Misty, the superintendent’s secretary, was at her desk, which was covered with papers. The phone was ringing, papers were flying, […]
Miracles Never Cease
Miracles still happen. They can happen with unexpected timing and in unexpected places. Miracles can happen on any old day. One specific “any old day” a few years ago, I went to a weekend conference called True Charity Initiative put on by James and Marsha Whitford. During the first session Friday evening, I glanced over […]
It’s Not Too Late
Being late has always been an issue for me. This day though, was different. I was on time, but I was about to learn a powerful lesson about timing. Jess and I met on Monday mornings at a convenient store called The Short Stop, located in a small town between the two of us. We […]
The Promise of a Dance
Over 2000 years ago, Aristotle said, “A promise made must be a promise kept.” All these years later, each of us still desires that to be true. When a promise is made, we want the one who made it to keep his word. This is the story of a man who lived life believing that […]
It Just Takes One
How many times have we all missed the opportunity to help someone along the way? I know for me, that has happened far too often. When I begin to think I’m unable to help or that I’m just too busy, I remember Stephanie. She taught me that I can never really help someone else without […]
Kelly’s Story
Writing these uncommon stories has been on my agenda for years. So finally, at long last, the time has come. The first is prompted by the story of my dear friend Kelly who died a few months ago. She is no longer here with me, but I am hopeful that her story of healing will […]
