Growing Bolder Community

A Time to Laugh "We know God doesn't reject an innocent person . . . And so, he will make you happy and give you something to smile about" (Job 8:20a,21 CEV). All the way to the airport, my mind tried to find the right words. My soldier is about to get on a plane that will eventually lead him to the battlefront. What should I say? How will I not fall to pieces? I just want to grab him...

Second Deployment: Old Fears, New Fears We knew another deployment was looming. My soldier son had warned us long ago that it was coming. I managed to push it into the back of my mind for months, trying to pray it away. Maybe something would change, and he wouldn’t have to go. But the day has arrived: he just received his orders. I weep for hours at the news. I cajole God, beg...

The Sack Lunches> > I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read, perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.> > Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation.> > 'Where are you headed?' I...

It was a scary time. The Japanese Empire had mounted a sneak attack on our military facilities at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. We suffered devastating losses and the U. S. was at war. President Roosevelt called it “a date which will live in infamy” and even though I was only 5 years old and didn’t really understand those words, I definitely remember being scared for us all. Everyone was....

When my 2 eldest sons were children, they loved to play 'oorlogje', oorlog meaning war, the -je used to soften the meaning of the word. Of course I had to think about accepting that, but as they were not aggressive by nature, I let them have their weird sort of fun. There was no stopping them anyway, as a container full of little soldier figures washed ashore on the island one day,...