Bring a “To Go” Box to Church

I am a big fan of restaurant to go boxes. When I am full I can pack up the leftovers and be nourished again later. Recently I have adopted the “to go box” strategy when I go to church. I very intentionally pray for something I can pack away and take home that will nourish me spiritually and emotionally for the rest of the week. It is fascinating how God has honored that prayer by giving me something to put in my spiritual to go box each week. This week my to go box got filled during adult Bible class. We are going through the Old Testament book of 1st Samuel and the story of Hannah was discussed. Hannah was the wife of Elkanah who was married to a second wife named Peninnah. Elkanah seemed to emotionally favor Hannah but there was a problem. She was unable to bear children. That was a crushing burden to bear and especially when
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A Life Lesson from My Labrador

One of the most valuable spiritual lessons from my rescued Labrador Hannah was the genesis of my book Stay. I had just stumbled through the back door from an all-night flight in the spring of 2011 when I noticed something was amiss with Hannah. Normally she would celebrate my arrival with a wild, exuberant, spinning dance accompanied by a vibrating, thumping tail. This time, her greeting was subdued, her gait slow, and her soulful eyes dull.  Joni and I immediately knew that something was wrong. Even though she seemed slightly better as the day wore on, we made an appointment with the vet just to make sure.  A suspicious growth on her spleen and fluid in her stomach signaled a grim prognosis. On Monday morning, we went to a specialist who confirmed the diagnosis. Dr. Carmenn Woolley explained the sad options we faced. Hannah had a splenic tumor which, given her age, would likely be malignant.  Our choices were less
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