by Merita Atherly Engen | Aug 16, 2016 | God of Our Ultimates, Points of Light, Survival
Having survived life in an Ozark cabin, the Bible, in its preponderance of size and weight, now adorned a coffee table inside a house surrounded by Arkansas cotton. “Sharecroppers. That’s who my grandparents were,” my soon-to-be husband explained the first time we...
by Merita Atherly Engen | Jul 14, 2016 | Giver, God of Our Ultimates, Grief, Points of Light, Relationships, Shining on God's Character, Survival
“They need help unloading a trailer of food.” The coordinator at the flood response crisis center handed me, my husband, and a local friend a work order. “It’s a church, or what used to be.” She shook her head of gray hair as she turned to the next group of...
by Merita Atherly Engen | Jul 5, 2016 | Belonging, God of Our Ultimates, Points of Light, Survival
In Cades Cove, a white clapboard church stands protected by the Park Service of the United States of America and by the mountains of East Tennessee. Dedicated to worship for all ‘time and eternity,’ it has been sandwiched between a single lane road and a...
by Merita Atherly Engen | Sep 10, 2015 | God of Our Ultimates, Good, Points of Light, Protector, Relationships, Shining on God's Character, Survival
Two weekends ago the weather was good for flying. Not perfect. A layer of haze, hot and moist, hung in the late summer sky, but visibility was good. My husband, Bruce, eager to get behind the controls, began his pre-flight check. I stepped onto the wing, slid into my...
by Merita Atherly Engen | Nov 5, 2014 | Fatherly, God of Our Ultimates, Humorous, Points of Light, Protector, Shining on God's Character, Survival
“Why didn’t you, God?” Esther snapped. She slammed the lady’s room stall door and jerked the lock into its latch. “We trusted you. We prayed.” She dropped with a thud onto the commode. “This was suppose to be the perfect vacation. Why did you let this happen?”...
by Merita Atherly Engen | Jun 19, 2014 | Faithful, God of Our Ultimates, Grief, In Sickness, Points of Light, Praiseworthy, Shining on God's Character, Survival, Timely
2009 August The red glow of Judie’s digital clock beside her bed read 1:00 AM. Thoughts tumbled around in her brain like shells in a rough surf. Keith’s rhythmic breathing told her he had finally drifted off. Only a few hours had passed since her husband had come home...
