Category: featured

  • Love, Healing, Hope and Restoration in Cuba

    Love, Healing, Hope and Restoration in Cuba

    Hola! Tiene agua? No. We don’t have water. Pero tenenos galletas y esmalte de uñas. But we have biscuits. And nail polish. Do you want some? It is impossible to spend time in Cuba without being thoroughly impressed by los Cubanos. They are charming, friendly, well-educated and hardworking. Even though resources are extremely limited, they…

  • Esa es Cuba – Life, Hope and Struggle for Survival

    Esa es Cuba – Life, Hope and Struggle for Survival

    Thomas and I are in Cuba this week with a team from our home church, visiting local churches and encouraging them to cooperate across denominations. I am wrecked by this wonderful people who work so hard even though resources are scarce. The will to live and thrive is fierce beyond comprehension. It would have been…

  • Loss and New Beginnings

    Loss and New Beginnings

    I’ve got a beef with a beaver. He likes the same things that I do. Like the apple tree standing next to the river. I loved that tree! He did, too. At least I assume that he did, from the way he chewed his way through it before leaving it to die. I would have…

  • Living Life in Family

    Living Life in Family

    Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about family. Not just my own, although my husband and my children are permanently etched in my heart and soul, but the concept of family as such. I often speak about living life in family and how to me, family is an expression of true beauty. But I’ve come…

  • Traffic, God and Distorted Truth

    Traffic, God and Distorted Truth

    I like to drive. I do my best thinking while I’m driving, at least if I’m alone in the car. It’s interesting to observe how drivers interact. They pay attention to signs, search for patterns, and interpret signals to predict the actions of fellow drivers. Fascinating! Such interaction varies from one country to another. Failure…

  • Days Off and Holy Unrest

    Days Off and Holy Unrest

    This Easter has been peaceful and fantastic. We had made plans for the holiday, but due to heavy snowfall in the South of Norway we were not able to go as planned. So, we enjoyed our days off at home, just going on day trips in the region. We’ve had long meals. Slow-cooked elk roast…

  • Front Row Seat to a Miracle – The Last Appointment with the Doctor

    Front Row Seat to a Miracle – The Last Appointment with the Doctor

    This week, we saw Adrian’s doctor for the last time. This once so tiny, fragile infant will be 18 in a couple of months, and it was time for his last checkup at the pediatric polyclinic. Here’s what our brilliant doctor has taught us about God. Following the instructions from Heaven Shortly after our son…

  • Accidental Eavesdropping and Unexpected Insight into Peed Pants, Candy and Grace

    Accidental Eavesdropping and Unexpected Insight into Peed Pants, Candy and Grace

    I eavesdropped on a conversation the other day. I didn’t mean to, but it was impossible to ignore the exchange between a screaming toddler and his mom. She kept raising her voice while hugging him, as if to muffle her little howling hustler, but he wasn’t having any of it. He was mad, insecure, motivated…

  • Face-to-Face Time – The Inconvenient Calls from Heaven

    Face-to-Face Time – The Inconvenient Calls from Heaven

    I FaceTimed my 83-year-old mother on Sunday. Usually when I FaceTime her, she puts the phone to her ear and asks me why I speak so loudly. This time, she looked straight into the camera lens and said, “Hello!” I waved excitedly, saying “Hi Mom, how are you?” She looked at me and said quietly,…

  • Candles, Hygge and Earthly Tents – How Do We Speak about Faith?

    Candles, Hygge and Earthly Tents – How Do We Speak about Faith?

    Norwegians love candles. We love fireplaces, woolen socks and sheepskin rugs. Don’t judge. You would, too, if you had the Arctic circle as your next-door neighbor and spent months with little or no sun in the freezing temperatures. OK, so maybe it’s not exactly my next-door neighbor… and maybe I live in the warmest part…