by Merita Atherly Engen | Jun 22, 2021 | Childhood Abuse and Trauma, Forgiving, Healer, Points of Light, Relationships, Restoration from Abuse
The woman sits in the front pew, expectant and eager. Her grandchild will be baptized. It’s a time of celebration, but church hadn’t always been so joyful. Most of her early pew-sitting and hymn-singing was nothing but an inner struggle from a lifetime of...
by Merita Atherly Engen | Jun 23, 2016 | Failings, Forgiving, Gentle, God of Our Ultimates, Grief, In Sickness, Loving, Patient, Points of Light, Shining on God's Character
Entering my trashed apartment was like entering a mind diseased. Your whole head is injured Carpet blanketed in filth – Kitchen sink smeared with a brown film – Your whole heart afflicted. Food rotting in the refrigerator – Windows broken – From the sole of your foot...
by Merita Atherly Engen | Sep 29, 2014 | Creative, Faithful, Forgiving, Loving, Points of Light, Respectful, Shining on God's Character
His heart burned with love and there was no cure. Night and day the glory of it consumed his being. Tortuous burning. White hot and pure. He longed to communicate, to reach out, to touch, and to finally know that he had been heard and perhaps, just perhaps, been...
by Merita Atherly Engen | Aug 22, 2014 | Belonging, Forgiving, God of Our Ultimates, Kind, Peaceful, Points of Light, Shining on God's Character
Chaos in a Midwestern town. Desperation in the mountains of Iraq. Fear in an Amish community. A politician in Kenya who calls himself Christian wants a law that stones humans of differing sexuality. It may seem odd, but what comes to mind as I read the posts and watch...
by Merita Atherly Engen | Jun 12, 2014 | Failings, Forgiving, God of Our Ultimates, Joyful, Points of Light, Praiseworthy, Relationships, Shining on God's Character
“When you’re up against a struggle that shatters all your dreams,”(click to listen) The lyrics drummed inside my head. Yep, many of my dreams have been shattered. I often feel overwhelmed. “Why don’t we keep a praise list,” the man I had idolized...
by Merita Atherly Engen | May 8, 2014 | Forgiving, King of Kings, Saving, Shining on God's Character
With my toddler son’s room dark and the rocker scooted near the window, we watched the moon rise. Its light held compelling mystique. Day or night, he enjoyed searching the sky to find it. In winter when the sky was clear and the moon was full and far away, its beams...
