Author Archives: joyocala

I recently had the pleasure of attending the movie Respect based on the life of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.  I have always loved her music and admired her talent.  Her voice control and interpretation of the songs she … Continue reading →

Anytime is a good time to pray!  However, I find that being in traffic offers a wonderful opportunity to work on my relationship with God.  It just so happens that I have lots of time to do that, as we … Continue reading →

“In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing. We lived at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana, and our father was a Presbyterian minister and a fly fisherman who tied his own … Continue reading →

It was always a tender moment when Grammy tucked in a little granddaughter for the night. We cuddled on the bed and read her favorite stories – just the two of us. Then the time came to pull up the … Continue reading →

Brother Martin, Dr. Luther, “Herr Pastor” was the most prolific writer of his age. He jumped on the “techie bandwagon” long before it was a thing. Using the recently invented printing press, he cranked out tons of pamphlets, newsletters, and … Continue reading →

This summer our family came together for a reunion.  It had been two years and we were thrilled to see each other.  Now such an occasion inevitably calls for the “family photo.”   Getting us all together in some semblance of … Continue reading →

At our dinner table, during my growing up years, all four of us discussed our day at work or school and then there was always time for laughter.  There were humorous twists to stories, or a new joke we learned and … Continue reading →

Do you ever experience a faltering of faith?  If and when this happens to a person, usually life is not going well.  These trials might range from issues being fairly small and personal in nature to catastrophic events that affect … Continue reading →

While we were staying in Alexandria VA, we had a fire alarm in the middle of the night.  Talk about frightening and disruptive!  What to do? Staying in a large hotel on the third floor.  Sound asleep.  Husband with a … Continue reading →

I recently read “Prayer Takes Us Home,” a book on prayer by German Catholic New Testament scholar Gerhard Lohfink. This isn’t a “how to” book as much as it is a “why” book. Lohfink deals with questions like: To Whom … Continue reading →