Author: maryanncrum

                I sometimes get a little peeved at Adam and Eve. By doing the one thing God told them not to do—the ONE thing—they opened the door for every bit of misery in this world.          Exposing humans with free will to temptation is always dicey. I do realize that if the first couple had not… Continue reading Thanks a Lot, Adam and Eve

Okay, birds, we’re starting to take this personally. What could possibly be wrong with the birdfeeder we’ve prepared  for you? It’s a perfectly wonderful birdfeeder. We take great pains to serve only the finest bird cuisine. A five-star birdfeeder, I would venture to say. And yet, you snub us. You flit by our feeder like… Continue reading Don’t Flit by Jesus

(SPOILER ALERT: If you are a fan of “Downton Abbey” but haven’t yet watched the recent season finale, stop reading right NOW, or I will surely ruin your day. Possibly even your whole weekend. I’m not kidding. ALSO NOTE: I am not endorsing the beliefs or behavior of any “Downton Abbey” characters, nor the liberal… Continue reading Stay Tuned for Something Better

Judging by my Facebook news feed, I’m not the only one who didn’t like Beyonce’s halftime performance at this year’s Superbowl. Looking like a cross between Klingon she-warriors and pole dancers, Beyonce and her backup dancers turned one of America’s premier sporting events into a sleazy nightclub act. But even though some of my peeves… Continue reading Here Came the “Church Lady”

I can be pretty dense. Sometimes God has to repeatedly put something in my path before I stop tripping over it and realize, “Hmmm. Maybe there’s something here I’m supposed to see.” That was the case with a book I’m currently reading. People were regularly popping into my life, some from rather unexpected places, to… Continue reading To 1,000 and Beyond

        When we go spelunking through the caverns of our personal histories, some of what we encounter may make us feel all warm and fuzzy. And some will not. Don’t go there if you aren’t ready for what you might find. I recently revisited my past while going through boxes of memorabilia my husband and… Continue reading Memory Lane is a Dusty Path

What did I get for Christmas?             Some nice, thoughtful gifts, but perhaps the best was a reminder that I still have much to learn about loving God.             The reminder began as I was having a big time with my 2-year-old grandson, Walty, on Christmas Day. We gave Walty a toddler-sized basketball goal and… Continue reading Growing Beyond a “Toddler” Love for God

        Most of us are familiar with the biblical account of the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke. If not from reading the Bible, then perhaps from watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special. (A friend told me he can’t read the story of Christ’s birth without hearing the voice of Linus in his head.) My… Continue reading The War Can Be Over

                I’m not sure why we ever wake up and assume the day before us will be normal. The “crazy potential” in our world is just too great for that.                 To wit, I offer the following, reported by various legitimate news organizations: A couple in Georgia discovered a live buffalo in their swimming pool… Continue reading God Can Help Us Handle the “Ifs”

Today, some of us will stare at that turkey carcass lying in our fridge and think, “Aren’t you gone yet?” Turkey salad, turkey tetrazzini, turkey pot pie. Turkey schmurkey. Some of us will glance at the calendar and wonder how we’re going to survive the Thanksgiving-to-New Year’s gauntlet. It looks like an ascent up Mt.… Continue reading Let’s Try Radical Thankfulness