storylorimedia.com | Blog | Musings on faith, culture and everything in between
  • In her final year of college, Cara* was accustomed to taking tests. She knew all the steps she needed to successfully prepare for the best outcome. But this one, offered up by the school of consequences, was more than she thought she could bear. “In the darkness and secrecy of the bathroom at home, I took the test… and waited two agonizingly long minutes,” …

  • Keren Bunnell was an unlikely candidate to be standing before the judge. The oldest of five, she showed early signs of being momma’s helper. The daughter of a Navy Lt. Commander, Keren was raised in a strong Christian home, her mother a symphony conductor of sorts who meticulously orchestrated all aspects of her children’s lives: homeschool, music lessons and family outings. Yet there the …

  • I plopped on the matted floor and quickly turned my attention to the toddler. It had been years since I was on the floor of a nursery and I almost felt like a kid again. Moment earlier, I slipped into the nursery to give Dad a chance to return to the worship center to hear Mom share during a panel discussion on “What My …

  • Capacity is a strange word. I’ve heard it all my life in various, well, capacities. I remember when we purchased our first washer and dryer. As we stood in front of a row of Kenmore machines, we scanned the specs for each one. Like refrigerators, the available space is measured in cubic feet. But just how many pair of jeans and socks fit into …

  • The little boy stood on the pool deck, his toes curled over the edge.  He wore bright orange and blue swim trunks, which was probably what caught my attention.  His eyes were covered with goggles and, at his young age, they practically covered his face. He looked intently at the instructor wading in the water below him. After a few minutes of coaxing, Tomas, …

  • Today, between choruses of Happy Mother’s Day, I reflected on all of the Mother’s Days I’ve celebrated with my mom. Instead of years, they are easier to count off in decades. Then I remembered a piece I wrote about Mom when I was the editor of the Christian Examiner newspaper. I dusted it off and though it’s been more than a dozen years since …

  • I only needed one ingredient for dinner, so after finishing up an intense workout at the YMCA, I headed into the grocery store. I was pooped and just wanted to get home. The afternoon clouds were beginning to give way to dusk.   To my surprise the store was fairly empty despite it being the drive-home commute. I breezed through the check out line …

  • We were in the middle of God’s country and I was lingering near a rock. No, it wasn’t one of those rustic, massive boulders lining the magnificent foothills dotting Lake Tahoe, where we were vacationing with friends last fall. Nor was it near a towering pine or on the lakeside beach where gentle waves deposited wet kisses along the shoreline. No, I was in …

  • Most of us are familiar with the modern, secular parable of the frog in boiling water. The story goes that if you put a frog in lukewarm water and slowly heat it up on a stove, the frog will never notice the temperature change or the pending danger, so he will unwittingly allow himself to cook to death. Wikipedia calls it a “metaphor for …

  • I don’t know about you but I have sensitive ears. Assorted noises tend to set the hair straight up my neck, sending my jaw into a stress-clad lock job. Among the common culprits: Nails on blackboards, shifting Styrofoam, head-banger rock ’n’ roll. Even the gleeful squeals of children can—in the right octave—cause my feet to leave the pavement. Enter apartment living. Such close quarters, …