Category Archives: Spiritual Growth

Prove-it Prayers

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

When I was almost a believer, I started praying prove-it prayers to see if God was real. Could he see me? Could he hear me? Did he care about my circumstances? And did he have the power to intervene? I … Continue reading →

Posted in Flash memoir, Spiritual Growth, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

I Never Wanted to be a Teacher

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

This is a guest post I wrote for another blog called The Soft Never. It’s about the weird way God guides us to our destinies despite our fears and failures. Maybe even because of them. “My thoughts are nothing like … Continue reading →

Posted in Flash memoir, Spiritual Growth, Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

Baila Bien

Posted on September 22, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

While I was an ELL (English Language Learners) teacher, I signed up for a summer Spanish immersion program in Mexico sponsored by my school district. Not all my students spoke Spanish, but the point of my two-week field trip, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Flash memoir, Spiritual Growth | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Angel of Mercy

Posted on September 16, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

This is the season when children go back to school with all its challenges, academic and social. And I’m reminded of someone I’ll remember forever for her kindness. Someone who sheltered me when I was small and vulnerable. But this … Continue reading →

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Where the Ordinary Meets the Sublime

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

The other day, I placed a cat carrier on Facebook Marketplace. Yes, I still have Sunshine, for those who know and love my calico friend, but in my constant minimizing, I found we had two carriers from when we had … Continue reading →

Posted in Flash memoir, Spiritual Growth | 8 Comments

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

Posted on September 3, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

And what do you do? Isn’t that the question we all dread at class reunions, dinner parties, really any kind of meet and greet where we’re asked to explain ourselves in terms of work? In honor of Labor Day, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Flash memoir, Spiritual Growth | 5 Comments

My Captain

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

Last week I was on vacation in Bermuda. Yesterday my half-niece set sail at seventeen with an all-girl crew in the Newport to Bermuda Race. Tomorrow is Father’s Day and my heart still bursts with affection for the man I … Continue reading →

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Masterpieces

Posted on May 27, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

I recently reread Mary Karr’s Liar’s Club, and a few nights ago, finished Annie Dillard’s An American Childhood. Both are memoirs. Both are masterpieces, yet so different in so many ways. Karr’s story is set in the stuffocating heat of … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Spiritual Growth | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The Week After Mother’s Day, How Are You Doing?

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

Just being real here. Much is made of motherhood in Christian culture. Greeting card companies make a fortune on this holiday. But what if becoming a mother was far from a Hallmark experience? What if being a mother feels like … Continue reading →

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Hosanna to a God too Big to Fit on a Shelf

Posted on April 8, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

I went to church my entire childhood, but coming of age during the Woodstock Generation, I drifted farther and farther away from God. Looking back, no matter how far away I got, God was drawing me closer to his plan … Continue reading →

Posted in Flash memoir, Spiritual Growth | 1 Comment