By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills On July 4th, our country celebrates its 250th birthday. Many of us have planned and prayed about how we should commemorate July 4th, a milestone in American history. We look forward to gathering with family and friends for traditional celebrations. The day represents not only red, white, and blue flags with bursts of colorful fireworks, but

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills The freedom we commemorate on the Fourth of July grows us in stages as we journey through life. Our appreciation deepens as we mature and become more discerning in our news consumption. When we were children, we learned about freedom and what that meant from our parents, teachers, movies, books, and parades. In reflecting on how

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Holy Week commemorates Jesus’ walk to the cross. Although a handful of His followers were with Him, none knew what was ahead. They professed to love Jesus and even die with him. But when their lives were threatened, many abandoned Him. I’ve often wondered if I’d have had the courage to stay during His trial, flogging,

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Guest post by Brenda Gates @BrendaGates “Your son will need a kidney transplant by the time he weighs twenty pounds,” the pediatric nephrologist told me as I held my one-week-old son in my arms. I looked down at this child God had given us. Silver-blonde wisps of hair covered the dome of his head. Sky-blue eyes

By Barbara Latta @DiAnnMills This week’s guest blogger is Barbara Latta  @BarbaraLatta Observing Memorial Day is not a contemporary ideal. Remembering those who’ve given their lives for others has given us reason to value the sacrifices of courageous men and women. Twenty-two-year-old Marine Corporal Jason Dunham and some of his military buddies sat around their barracks in Iraq swapping stories.