Blog – Page 28 – Janis Van Keuren

Quieting the Overwhelming “Whys”

Questions Need Soul Answers-Psalm 131 I could feel the depression creep into my skin like an insidious attack of insects looking for a winter home in which to roost. I flipped my head to the other side on my soft pillow, hoping to rub out the feeling of invasion and a Saturday morning filled with dreariness. Only the morning’s grogginess filled my waking mind at first. But once the invasion began, my contemplation of the day ahead became sullied … Continue reading →

The Yiddish Meal That Heals All Your Ills

Youngest was on a gym court again, challenging a few guys to a basketball game. Nothing out of the ordinary. He played Varsity in high school and was named the “top defender” for a couple of years in a row. Basketball runs in his veins like writing does mine. On the court this past week, he was “in the other guy’s face” doing what he has always done best–defending the basket. He jumped into the air for a block, … Continue reading →

A Time to Harvest

Centerpiece on our kitchen table Cooler, fall weather whistled through the maple trees on campus today and the smell of a campfire drifted on the air. As I gazed at the blue sky through branches of pine trees in the desert, I felt as if I could get lost in this moment forever. Peace swirled around like fallen leaves and I imagined myself playfully tumbling into a pile of orange and crimson drifts and resting with my face turned … Continue reading →

The Blessings Keep Flowing

It’s been a while since I have put a number to all the thank yous my heart holds for the Lord. The blessings have overflowed: 683) the arrival of fall, even if the thermometer still reads 90+ degrees 684) this autumn season full of promise, bursting forth in harvest; a time to gather, and a time reap what we have sewn 685) the love of family and friends as we joined in the celebration of one of … Continue reading →

Thinking On the Lovely

“Whatever is lovely…think about such things” “You worry too much,” my cousin wrote the words that so aptly describe the workings of my mind. Just a few weeks ago I was held captive by worry as I drove home from work, not an uncommon happening. Anxious thoughts crept into my mind and spiked on the Richter scale of patterns zigzagging across the internal screen. As I wound up the road home, the intensity of worrisome scenarios built for … Continue reading →

Magic Cookie Bars

With only a half hour left of Friday, I’m finally getting around to posting the recipe for the cookie bars that I made last weekend. Our church is the process of raising funds for our annual trip to Mexico where nearly 100 members join forces with AMOR ministries south of the border and build 4 houses for families living in poverty. One of the ways we raise the monies is through our bake sales. Now baking desserts is a … Continue reading →

A Chance to Meet IRL

Sharon and I enjoying a moment at the cafe outside of her church Last weekend while I was in California, I had the rare privilege of meeting one of my favorite blogging friends IRL, Sharon of Sharon Sharing God. In blogging lingo, IRL means In Real Life. That moment captured all the excitement, fun, sharing, and friendship I had anticipated. As a way to share this moment with our readers, we’ve done a mock interview. We hope it … Continue reading →