Author: Lyli Dunbar

Sweet Fruit

I sat at my sister in law’s table with great anticipation. That afternoon, she showed me the bountiful harvest of blackberries that had grown in her garden that year. Now I was about to sample the sweet fruit in a cobbler that she had lovingly prepared and placed in the

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I Will Take Hold of You

I stood before the vast ocean with wide eyes full of fear as the waves mercilessly crashed into the shore. The wall of water stood taller than my 10-year old tiny self, and I didn’t want to go in, because I was certain I’d end up dragged away into the

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Who Can?

  My husband and I sat in the theater spellbound as we watched a beautiful movie that displayed the power of God. A young boy had almost drowned, and the doctor’s told his mama there was no hope for a recovery. That woman of faith stood in front of her

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Entering God’s Presence with Praise

Several years ago, I spent a 40-minute drive to my parents’ house instructing my American fiancé how to properly greet his Cuban soon-to-be father-in-law. I explained that my family kissed on the cheek, rather than just shaking hands. We forgo all the formality and fully embrace one another. Thankfully, Bruce

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Call to Mind

A few weeks back, I went into the backyard with a bucket and picked up a bunch of rocks. I carried the heavy pail inside and poured its contents onto the kitchen counter. Then I grabbed a black marker and wrote down the current year on one rock. Underneath the

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Lifting Our Hearts to Our Great God

My phone started to ding and I picked it up to read a very discouraging message. Someone I loved was in distress. Just a few days earlier, my friend had been released from the hospital after battling COVID. I thought he was past the hard part and home, but he

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See the Signs and Celebrate

I answered a call on my cell, and the voice on the line sounded distressed. “Is it raining there? Are you home right now?”    It was my mom. As she has grown older, her fear of impending doom has grown larger. She wanted to make sure I was indoors

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The Turning Point

For almost two decades, I taught high school English and spent most of my day reading stories with teenagers. I created a handout for my students to learn the key elements of a great story. Together, we would analyze the plot, identify the key moments, and discuss what made the

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The Gift of God’s Mercy

Ten years before I met my husband, I thought God had planned for me to marry another man. I moved forward in this relationship believing that I knew exactly what God’s will was—except it wasn’t. I ended up alone and heartbroken and wondering what went wrong. I realize now that

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What We Have Seen and Heard

We were sitting on the couch in our pajamas reading a story and eating goldfish crackers. “Wasn’t that a great story about Jesus? We love Jesus!” I exclaimed to my grandson as I laid the children’s Bible on the coffee table.    Suddenly, the pint-sized evangelist sitting between my husband

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