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Palm Sunday Without the Palms
By Ava Pennington— The crowds cheered. They spread their cloaks on the road. They cut palm branches and placed them in His path as Jesus rode into Jerusalem astride a donkey. Two thousand years later, many churches celebrate Palm Sunday by distributing palm branches to commemorate that special day. When I lived in New York, the church I attended observed many significant dates in the liturgical calendar, including Palm Sunday. I looked forward to receiving my strip of palm leaf as a tangible reminder of the...
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RENOVATION IN PROGRESS
By Peggy Still— In the town in which I live there is much renovation going on. A new transit system is being built, restoration of the old train depot is pending, and much is happening to our roads in preparation for all of this. The slowing traffic and detours cause impatience among commuters. A sign in one of the construction areas states, “Please excuse the inconvenience, renovations are in progress.” As I sat in my car waiting for the light to change I thought, aren’t we all a work in progress?...
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Not Blind
By Ava Pennington— The ophthalmologist used a swab to numb the white of my husband’s eye in preparation for the injection. I winced at the thought of keeping my eye open for an approaching needle. My husband is much braver than I am. But as he noted, it’s still better than the alternative: blindness. Few people, if any, would choose to be blind. Yet all too often, Christians speak of the necessity of blind faith. I cringe when I hear that term. Not because I don’t want unreserved faith in the Lord, but...
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Beware the Ides of March
By Ava Pennington— The older I get, the more sensitive I am to the passing of time. March 15 is this weekend. Halfway through the month. I pulled out my calendar and mentally scrolled through my schedule for the rest of the month. Things to do, places to go, people to see. Way too busy, as usual. Still, March 15th won’t be as bad for me as it was for Julius Caesar. Poor Caesar. March 15th was just another day for most people. But not for him. Although he belittled the warning that he would be harmed on or...
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It’s Personal
By Ava Pennington— “It’s only a black racer,” I said in a matter-of-fact voice as my neighbor and I watched the snake on her front lawn. “They’re good because they eat insects and rodents.” She didn’t appear at all impressed with my knowledge of snakes in general…or of the location of this particular snake. The following week, a black racer slithered into our garage. My reaction? I shouted for my husband. “Get it out of here!” When it became personal, what I said I believed and what my...
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Major Lessons from a Minor Cut
By Ava Pennington— A fellow writer, Lisa Jordan, once wrote on her Facebook page: “Typing with a Band-aid on is like talking with a mouthful of Novocaine.” I chuckled at her simile and moved on. A few days later, I accidentally cut the cuticle on the middle finger of my right hand. No problem. Compared to other injuries I’ve suffered over the years, on a scale of one to ten, this didn’t even merit a one. I covered it with some first-aid cream and a Band-Aid® and went on with my day. Of...
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