Heart Hope by Olga

It was time for everyone in our office to get new headshots. A new website was being developed and they wanted consistent photographs for the team—the others had been random shots. One outside in a tank top, one in a studio, another in winter…you get the picture, they just didn’t go together. Our local photographer was called in to do the job. The morning of the shoot there were lots of complaints. I hate to have my picture taken and I like my old headshot were common themes, but the real complaints weren’t voiced until the pictures were snapped. I look fat. My hair looks bad. Can you get rid of my wrinkles? Will you Photoshop my gray? Will you take another? And another? And yet another? I like my old headshot better. The poor photographer was just doing his job, but he took much abuse for the hour long session. We laughingly said it must be much easier to do an on-mountain shoot with skiers who don’t care nearly so much about the way they look. When m...

My seat mate on the late night flight was quite chatty. Usually I will talk for a while and then settle in, but not this time. The entire flight was consumed with conversation. His story was compelling. He was apparently a successful business man and family was important to him. He had been through the loss of his beloved son and had been on quite a journey to get through the tragedy. As he described the way that he, his wife and family had each dealt with the death, he also shared the goodness of God. Several years before the death he had helped to start a new church and had grown in his faith. It was a season of preparation. One of the most profound things my new friend told me was that prior to the death of his son, he would have said that he was a Christian, but now that he has walked the difficult road he said, “Now I know that I am a Christian.” Have you had an “I know” experience? Let’s hope that it doesn’t take a tragic event for that discovery, but the ma...