I feel like nothing A blob A splatter of ink evaporated Less than a piece of dryer lint Nonexistent Hypnotized by nothing A senseless meme An appendage with a screen No ability to sing Or scream Or cry or pray Or dance Or swear Or see Or hear Or heal No zeal No perspiration... Continue Reading →
I meant to post this story a few days ago and forgot. The story keeps coming back to my mind, so here it is. Years ago, I was invited to a dinner with a group of people. As we gathered around our table, we noticed another large party was being seated behind us. As the... Continue Reading →
I am stepping out of my comfort zone to share with you a personal story concerning my journey with gastroparesis. This is difficult for me as an author who teaches and speaks life, but lives in pain. Part of the recent move to Florida was to revisit the specialists at the Mayo Clinic. We just... Continue Reading →
One of my mother’s favorite movies was Gone With the Wind. We watched it every year growing up, and I can almost recite the whole four-hour film verbatim. At one point in the movie, Scarlett sees that the one she is smitten with, Ashley, is to marry another. As war breaks out, she marries Mr.... Continue Reading →
There is nothing worse than a dead tree. Dead trees attract pests and termites. Dead trees carry disease that spreads to other trees. Dead trees may fall and cause damage, but what about dead hands? Withered hands? It has been a while since I have written about the 5-fold structure mentioned in the Torah and... Continue Reading →
Ruth speaks: Won’t you cover me? Boaz cover your רות with your skirts. Even if it hurts. Heavenly blue. 613 blossoms that bloom. Won’t your Ruth cover you? As your etzer Kenegdo. Can you spread your garment over me? And clothe me in dignity? Wrap me in your strength, And guard me from... Continue Reading →
See video at end of blog: The military has many cadences that are sung during marching. When I was a younger girl around five or six years old, we sang a song in my Sunday School class called "I'm in the Lord's Army." Here are the beginning of the lyrics: "I may never march in... Continue Reading →
In this blog, we will meet a king who must flee his palace because his own son has planned a coup to overthrow his kingdom. David’s son Absalom has been quite successful in winning over the people with his charm. David and his men are not prepared with food and supplies to withstand such a... Continue Reading →
Do you believe in angels? Have you ever met one? Do you believe in fervent prayer? Miracles? Many times, we say we do, other times, we have witnessed enchanted signs like Pharaoh's magicians performed. In Acts chapter 12, we learn that it was Passover/ the Feast of Unleavened Bread--a week-long festival. Peter, an apostle... Continue Reading →
During the 1960s and '70s, a show aired titled Bewitched. The show was about a married couple. Darrin is a mortal human; his wife, Samantha, is a witch with powers. She does not divulge to him about her witchcraft until their honeymoon night. At this point, she has already enticed him. Today witchcraft has become... Continue Reading →
For shorter podcast/Video click the link below. https://youtu.be/sF-6WRdBAmM "And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will... Continue Reading →
So far, during this blog series, I have taught without becoming too personal. This blog will be different. When the Father stripped me of everything that defined me as a person and did a renewal of my spirit through a journey of sickness and homelessness, a few years later, I was thrust into ministry.... Continue Reading →
The aged man named Joshua stepped carefully to the first oven with his ancient tools. He wore steel-toed boots and protective glasses. He knows that synthetic garments cannot be worn here because anything made of false fibers will melt. The heat from the oven warmed his face as he continued spinning the metal rod in... Continue Reading →
"And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion; and, behold, there was a nest of bees (adas devorim) and honey in the carcass of the lion." (Shoftim 14:8) As the commentaries explain, adas Devarim refers to a nest of bees. But the word... Continue Reading →
Leadership and Bare Buttocks “Hine Ma Tov” What could a disturbing story in II Samuel have to do with a Psalm on unity? One has oil dripping down the beard and covering the skirts of Aaron; the other has skirts cut to bare David's servant's nakedness. The king's servants had their beards shaved half off... Continue Reading →
The Five-Fold and Accountability Part III "Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith" (Hebrews 13:7). Before we look at mentorship, if you missed Part I and II, click HERE "And He Himself gave some as emissaries, and some as... Continue Reading →
This week I want you to meditate on what it would be like not to use your thumbs for a day ( try it) or possibly be deaf to sound. Shove cotton balls in your ears if you must. Picture being led by someone because you’ve lost your vision. Think of a time when you... Continue Reading →
The Five-Fold leadership bears great accountability. No man or woman, when called, seemed to feel worthy of the calling. They knew the cost and said, "I can't speak, I am but a child--did I give birth to all these people?" Anarchy is a state of disorder due to the absence or nonrecognition of authority. Do... Continue Reading →
It hung there like a branch on a tree. The color? It was more of a brown, Like shoe leather and cream with orbs of splattered sunlight. The timeworn camera had captured a split second of special. We would call it a black and white photo today, but to suggest it had a quality of... Continue Reading →
Thirsting for Water A devotional that brings healing to the hurting! I'll admit it; I've snapped at my children, gotten angry at friends, and said things I regret. I did not trust them. I once told my husband while we were dating that I had been through a lot and felt like a dog that... Continue Reading →
How can we be wholly illuminated on our job, in our marriage, and with our families and friends? This week while scrolling through social media I read a meme (below) that described my week or parts of my whole existence. The meme, along with the raw words written by a friend, pierced me. Her vulnerability... Continue Reading →
Hate is like a piece of yeast. It permeates and puffs up with satisfaction It says, “I am right!” I hold truth! I carry all knowledge! I will rebuke! It wipes its mouth with a napkin And still, the juice runs Hate dripping off chins Spilling over into diaper bins And storefront shelves Magazine covers,... Continue Reading →
“For thou hast possessed my kidneys: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.” Psalm 139:13 JB. “I shall bless Lord Jehovah who counsels me and my kidneys teach me in the nights.” Psalm 16:7 AB. I’m five or six years old, and it hurts to breathe. I’m feverish. The doctor puts his stethoscope on... Continue Reading →
I’m not a country girl, so you can understand my shock when I learned from a good friend of mine who raises hens, that chickens will peck a newcomer to death. As my friend began to explain to me how she had purchased four new hens to add to her group, she said, “Tekoa I... Continue Reading →
Strong drinks lead to drunkeness: "And he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast covered with names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns And the woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls,... Continue Reading →
"There's always a time to shine," she said, curling her bottom lip."You need to let the light shoot out of your hair like cracked eggshells covered in glistening white yolks." Sparkles. I pictured her hair standing up all over her head, illuminated and glistened like the moon draped over an armchair or a starfish on... Continue Reading →
I am not sure when I started writing this poem or why or whose kitchen I stood in, but possibly it will help us think more about words. Ironically when I was finished, it had a word count of 1,000. I know with social media and texting, we often take words wrong or quickly respond... Continue Reading →
About a month ago, I received a private dream, and one character in the dream-- a small talking reddish-brown hen with a bright red ladybug lit upon her back, captured my attention for various reasons. For one, this timid hen was floundering around and trying to hide under a couch cushion. The other reason was... Continue Reading →
Who Has a Broken Heart? Memoir Chapter One morning in 2010, I peered into the reflection of the mirror, and I wondered who the person was staring back at me. I had been too depleted financially to get my hair done at a beauty shop and was taken by a friend to a hair design... Continue Reading →
~Memoir~ Chapter 5 Boot Camp It seemed like it only took months for my sickness to progress into a total meltdown. I felt depleted of every ounce of strength. Like wafting wet paper, I floated along drained. It was a weekday in winter, and the chill was all around me. I could smell death and... Continue Reading →
A friend of mine sent me an intriguing podcast the other day about Rachel, Jacob's wife. She was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She said, "I keep seeing Rachel everywhere!" When she said it, I thought, "that's funny" because "I keep seeing Leah." Oh, Leah, you break my heart. What can women learn from... Continue Reading →
A very peculiar thing began creeping into my brain a few months ago–something a person just shy of 50 years young doesn’t think about much unless they are terminally ill or just received a death sentence. Yes, the big D, and I don’t mean divorce. Death started creeping up on me when I was... Continue Reading →
I thought of a word to describe you. Comfortable Like a much-traveled shoe A blanket worn and soft A tree with old bark A coffee cup stained The coziness of a tattered chair The bare path much traveled upon Openly frank and unpredictable, yet predictable in every way Comfortable A rainy Monday splattered on a... Continue Reading →
Gratitude. Thankfulness. Usually, neither of these exist without first experiencing heartache, loss, and trying times. You have to go through one to embrace the other in a manner worthy of noticing. Sometimes we miss the gratitude and turn bitter like lemons. This is the month of thankfulness. We try and become more aware of... Continue Reading →
A couple of years ago, my aunt, Eva, who was in her 80's, was not feeling well. A dear cousin went to visit and took her to the doctor. While there, they discovered she had cancer. Our hearts were broken. My aunt never had children. Her neighbors had been checking on her. My cousin... Continue Reading →
What can be learned from situations that seem bleak or hopeless? Perhaps there is a reason tucked inside the changing tide that is higher than our human understanding? Joy can come from the darkest of places and ignite like a sparkler in the blackest sky. In my early 20s, this suburbia girl found herself living... Continue Reading →
When I came out of surgery, I came out fighting. The nurses kept giving me more and more Dilaudid (Oxycodone type drug) until finally, I stopped breathing. Along with my husband and sister, the nurse kept shaking me and repeating, "Breathe Bonnie (Tekoa)! Breathe!" I would jolt and gasp like a person who... Continue Reading →
I have three sons of Spirit, Sons of lightning, sons of fame. I have three sons who live in a box on the corner begging for change. They play trashcan drums and acoustic guitars. They sing in the churches, and they sing in the bars. They rise sturdy with strength like Samson. They have arms... Continue Reading →
We must finish our sets. Sometimes we learn life lessons from scholars and authors, teachers and the age. Today I learned valuable lessons from a popular pop star: This past week, I watched a documentary and learned valuable lessons from a man who sings songs I mostly don't listen to. His name is Justin Timberlake.Master... Continue Reading →
I'm so honored to feature my husband, Jeff Manning, as this month's author of the month. He, of course, is my favorite author showcased so far! This story is one that will cause you to grab the kleenex but in a good way. At the request of my beloved wife and best friend, I would... Continue Reading →
It's good to dine at the King's Table: Saul's grandson, the son of Jonathan, named Mephibosheth, was crippled as a child. When he was five years old, a report came that Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle, and when the boy's nurse heard the news, she picked him up and fled. But as... Continue Reading →
It was an honor to be invited to the KY Book Fair. To be seated in a room full of authors like Wendell Berry was surreal. His poetry has gotten me through many difficult times and caused me to become more aware of the beauty in creation. I had the pleasure of meeting Mary... Continue Reading →