Posts by Jennifer Dougan
Keeping the Peace on Family Road Trips
Warm transparent lake water lapped over my shoulders, smelling of summer and snails. Sand slipped up my toes. Family camp at Camp Jim looked like red lifeguards on floating docks, life-jacketed preschoolers squealing from yellow water slides, Bible songs and stories ringing within wooden chapels, and families holding hands to pray around cafeteria tables. Our…
Read MoreSneezes, Chocolate, and Counting Gifts
Sneezes chase her into the house, the garage door shutting softer than her achoos. Sleepover energy-drains and allergies have left her red-eyed and dragging. She slinks away to her pink room, with my suggestion for a nap trailing after her. A weekend of painting, plumbing, and home repairs has left our home shining and our…
Read MoreI Don’t Know You But… Enlisted for a Stranger
Walking last night in my new neighborhood, I smiled at passing cars, picked up trash, and spied out the woods and pond across the street, hearing red-winged blackbirds colareeee to each other from among the cattails. Dust quickly coated my toes a gritty grey, and a speeding pick-up truck sucked birch saplings after it, and…
Read MoreLove It, Like It, or Back on the Rack?
Shiny black swimsuits draped from hangers on each finger. Thirteen of them, to be precise. With a $10 promotional gift card that came in the mail, and needing a replacement bottom for my swimsuit, I hit the clearance racks. It was my husband’s idea. When your man notices that your swimsuit bottom is too frayed…
Read MoreA Twilight Romance
A summery twilight spills sharp sunlight on my new neighbor’s trees – the green hues popping vividly against the blue sky behind. Inside, I type on a make-shift computer desk of two coffee tables and a bookshelf. Preschooler fights bedtime behind me, and the teens are off to camp. Caramel-, mocha- and chocolate milk-colored paint…
Read MoreAn Army Descends
They came in droves. Cars pulled up on the grass at the side of the road, or turned into an abandoned gas station across the street. Moms with kids, dads with sons, single college students, and teens on bikes. In ninety-degree weather with sweat beading across faces and arms, they marched up and down the…
Read MoreWorking Wonders for You
“…Be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things..” (Hosea 2:21a) “…And you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you…” (Hosea 2:26b) Join Ann, Michelle and I today to stop, see and count God’s gifts! Surely you have done great things, oh Lord, my God.…
Read MoreWinds of Change: Easing Preschooler Anxieties
Sprinklers scatter rainbowed droplets, fruit juice popsicles melt into sticky purple smiles, and school-age children are home in force. Play dates, park days, and soccer van trips easily fill the week. Preschoolers often find themselves in a sea of unaccustomed activity in June.The euphoria of having their school-age siblings around all day, every day, suddenly…
Read More…That is the Question…
Japanese-synthesized music lilts in the background, and I munch almonds beside a cup of reheated coffee. My tousle-headed preschooler is in bed, and the older kids help at our church’s summer Vacation Bible School program. Last night panic gripped my chest. I had been researching part time jobs and considering one especially. This one would…
Read MoreHosea, a Hooker, and God’s Love for You
Talk about a potential for ministry burn-out! In the ancient Middle East between 792-753 BC, the Creator called Hosea into ministry with an unusual assignment. Marry an unfaithful woman. Know that she will repeatedly cheat on you, and lapse into prostitution. But love her and invest in her anyway. As the ultimate Teacher,…
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