Author: bentley.vicki

I had never really noticed it before: The jarring juxtaposition. The joyful arrival of the longed for Messiah—and Bethlehem’s massacre. When Herod learned of the birth of this supposed new King—and threat to His throne—and took action, ordering the death of all the baby boys of Bethlehem. I can scarcely imagine the scale of such… Continue reading

“It’s not you, it’s me” “We regret to inform you we will not be moving forward with your application at this time.”  “We appreciate your submission but your piece has not been accepted for our publication this time.” It doesn’t matter how kindly it’s delivered, or how neatly it’s packaged, rejection hurts.  Like tiny arrows,… Continue reading

Volatile mom showed up today. I don’t know where she came from, but she certainly made her presence felt. Volatile mom is not very nice to be around. Sharp, careless words roll off her tongue. She is impatient and too quick to react. Resentment and frustration simmer beneath the surface, like water on the boil,… Continue reading

The battle lines have been drawn. On one side is a child, small but fierce. Filled with all sorts of opinions on how to live her life—the majority of which are somewhat questionable, and would most probably result in a rather prompt visit to the ER. On the other side is me— the parent, not… Continue reading

“I don’t think I can do this.” That was my initial reaction to being offered a spot on the editing team for Tge Joyful Life Magazine. I had zero editing experience and was more than a little overawed by the incredible women involved in this ministry. It would have been easy to say no. Defer… Continue reading

They didn’t even look back. It was a day I had been anticipating for a large portion of the summer. A long, hot, unstructured summer  spent, for the most part, refereeing two small but very strong willed little girls. A summer I was eager to see the back of if I’m honest—wearing me down and… Continue reading

As I wave two happy, excitable girls off to school today, a family that I know are preparing to say goodbye to their sweet son. At the tender age of 5 he is already heaven-bound. I cannot fathom their impending loss. My brain will not even entertain it, the impact impossible to process. Just thinking… Continue reading