Photo by James Lee  on Unsplash As a California native, I love the sun. When we get that first smattering of extended rain, the sense of ..read more

A chicken named Lola reminds me of my mom (in heaven). My mother was a big talker—so much so that you could walk into another room, do something, come back into the room, and find that she had never stopped her conversation with you. She retold the same stories, especially her favorites, over and over. Well, Lola squawks incessantly. Eight other chickens occasionally squawk, but Lola is always making “bawking” noises. I now say, “Hi, Mom,” when I enter the chicken pen. The other two pets that remind me of someone are my Yorkies, Roman and Hannah.  Like my brother and I growing up, th ..read more

I didn’t know it until many years later, but I was confronted by a serial killer when I was about 20-21 years old. A few years ago, I saw a crime show about a serial killer named Rodney Acala. He combed the beaches in Southern California in the mid to late 1970’s. Specifically, Huntington Beach. He picked up girls, maybe boys, under the guise of being a professional photographer. He got them to come to his “studio,” where he took nude photos of them. He then strangled and assaulted them before he murdered them. While watching the program, I remembered an event that happened to me then. The m ..read more

Photo by Fuu J on Unsplash Your captivity is over when you let Me set you free. Your inability is exchanged with My ability. Your weakness is replaced by My strength. Your fear fades into obscurity, in My love. Your sickness is overcome in My healing. Your pain is relieved by My comfort. Your anxiety is calmed by My peace. Your lack is ended by My provision. Your aimlessness is concluded because I Am the Way. Your lies are exchanged with My Truth. Your pride is substituted with My humility. Your hopelessness is over because I Am Faithful. Your spiritual hunger is fed because ..read more

We are all torn and broken. Life and its trials have a way of damaging your emotions and your soul. Perhaps you feel like a pinball, knocked about against trial after trauma. Or maybe your soul feels like the loser in a knife fight. Does a shattered pile of broken pottery describe you? Photo by Andrew Petrischev on Unsplash The good news is that God heals the brokenhearted (Psalm 147:3), tends to our wounds, is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). He is the master potter, and we are clay in His hands. He is using our brokenness to reform us in the ima ..read more

You may remember watching Dr. McCoy from Star Trek. He could wave a gadget over the bodies of crew members and diagnose and heal. Or you may recall Luke Skywalker from Star Wars. He received a bionic arm after Darth Vader amputated his arm with a light-saber. We can't teleport a person yet, but science is getting closer to bringing the reversal of aging to reality. AI We may soon reverse biological aging thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). Revealing how proteins and cells react to treatments allows AI to advance medicine.  "Until recently, the best we could do was slow aging." D ..read more

More than one million patients undergo successful total hip replacement (THR) procedures yearly, which is expected to double in the next 20 years. Having lived through 10 hip surgeries (1985-2016), I feel qualified to discuss the process and progress of hip replacement surgery over the years. In 1985, I had my first total hip replacement after learning that my hips had severely deteriorated from congenital hip dysplasia (shallow hip sockets like German shepherds get). Although hip replacement surgery dates back as far as 1891, modern-day hip surgery essentially dates back to the 1960s w ..read more

Our circulatory system has a supplemental system to balance fluids and filter pathogens called the lymphatic system. The brain has a similar adjunct system called the glymphatic system. This system is made up of cells called astrocytes. By GerryShaw     The astrocytes provide nutrition to nerve cells. They also help maintain electrolyte balance and assist in repairing damage within the brain and spinal cord. Astrocytes help with communication and energy within the brain and with the removal of waste products.   Research at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at M ..read more

As the colors of a diamond are best revealed against black velvet, so the majesty of God’s love stands out in a world of darkness. When Jesus was on earth, He stood out because He lived and taught in a way that contrasted with the culture of society of his time. As Christ followers, filled with his spirit, we are to shine brightly within our culture. How can we show the sparkle of God’s love better? By FlyD on Unsplash 1.   Remain Authentic & Truthful An honest authentic person is true to themselves and gives truthful feedback to others.  It doesn’t mean saying everything t ..read more

My mother had a green thumb. My sister has a green thumb. Me-I tend to love plants to death, literally. One of my treasures is a daughter plant from my mother’s Christmas cactus. My mother passed away in 2015. My sister and I each took parts of her cactus to remember her by. It felt like I was keeping a part of her alive. I split the Christmas cactus into three plants last Thanksgiving and gave my brother some pieces to start a baby of my mother's Christmas cactus. Miraculously, I haven’t killed mine yet. After having it for several years, I also recently managed to get my purple African viol ..read more