Good afternoon, ladies, I am sure you have noticed a bit of a change. Starting in the New year, Mustard Trees now has an article every 2 weeks, instead of weekly. Please stick in their with us. It will be good encouraging content to motivate us to be more like Jesus as Christian women. Later …
New Year, New You!It’s catchy. It’s marketable. And it plays on the natural dissatisfaction that we all feel. I often feel disappointed in myself. You may sympathize… I am my own greatest critique. As the winter chill wears off, spring opens new. It quickly gives way to summer heat, and before I know what has …
Every December, billions of dollars change hands as people buy gifts for friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors. In the United States alone, Christmas spending now exceeds $1 trillion annually, with Christmas gift-giving in gift cards, decorations, gadgets, clothing, and luxury items accounting for a significant portion of that figure. Some argue the tradition of gift-giving …
Along the Western Front in Belgium, it was a dark and bitterly cold night — Christmas Eve, 1914. Soldiers had already seen far too much blood. They were deeply traumatized, aching for their families. The distance between what they believed the war would be and what it had become felt like a gaping chasm. Then, …
Have you ever made a paper boat? They hold so much promise for about five seconds — until reality (and water) hit. I’ve made choices in life that felt the same way: beautifully folded plans that didn’t seem waterproof once the storms came. When we moved to Ukraine to help start a church, I had …
In Matthew 21, we see Jewish leaders come and challenge Jesus’ authority. He responds by telling the Parable of the Tenants to challenge them to examine their role in God’s plan (vv. 33-46). He uses imagery that they would instantly recognize as echoes of Isaiah 5:1–7, which calls Israel the vineyard of the Lord (v.7). …
We all do it when discussing a certain cold, milky, sweet substance. We might start with a description, when they learn that, then we spell it, but kids learn to spell pretty quickly. We had exhausted all the terminology that could be used for these sweet, milky substances and started referring to them in other …
Today, we often confuse kindness with being nice (in Latin, nice means ignorant) or being highly tolerant toward all sorts of things. Before we engage in casual or formal conversation, we should be kind with our words. Sadly, this behavior has led us to be fake and cowardly. The way our culture defines kindness differs …
The footprints of Katie’s life began on a cold blustery night because well, I made my debut upon the planet in Oregon and it was always cold and blustery. When I was nine years old those footprints were traced to Taiwan. I believe God works in the hearts of our children despite all we …
It’s Christmas Eve, and it’s a quiet morning. For many years, quiet and Christmas didn’t go together. We are in a different season now: it’s quiet, which gives me time to ponder. When the kids were young, there were programs and adventures. We never emphasized getting at Christmas time; we focused more on the giving. …