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Karla Duerson

Thankful

On Thanksgiving day we headed to Berea to spend Thanksgiving with our family.  It was Wylie’s first Thanksgiving at her grandmothers.  Jesus often explained that forgiveness of our sin was a greater miracle than those involving earthly matters. In light of seeing my car yesterday and the taking the pictures above, It made me think of just how incredible his forgiveness truly is.  His earthly intervention on behalf of Karla, Neva, and Wylie this Thanksgiving was no small matter!  Here is how Karla put it: Raise your hand if you love trees! Well, I do. My attention has been drawn… Read More »Thankful

Invitation to Rest (by Karla Duerson)

It started like the sunrise–warm, gentle, faithful, quiet and full of beauty. You know how God works: He strings along a message like a strand of pearls–unmistakable and full of grace and glory. I think it began with rereading The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry in which John Mark Cromer encourages the reader to slow to the pace of Jesus. He poses a question, “What has happened to the personal quiet time?” He wonders if the QT was abandoned as a legalistic relic of the late 1990s. “Let’s bring it back.” He concludes. I felt a nudge in my heart like… Read More »Invitation to Rest (by Karla Duerson)

Our American Stories: Receiving Wylie

Over the summer, my wife Karla participated in a writing class with author Leslie Leyland Fields.  Through that opportunity, a door opened to share Wylie’s story on the national podcast Our American Stories.  I helped her through the agonizing process of recording this story. (Karla often can’t get through cartoon stories without crying) and today it was posted on their website.  I’ve not shared a lot about our experience with Wylie on this blog. (Karla and I occasionally have done that over on her blog), but needless to say our world has been forever changed by Wylie.  I’m super proud… Read More »Our American Stories: Receiving Wylie

An update on our baby girl…

Hey folks… Just wanted to give a short personal update here on the simple church website about our baby on the way, Margaret Wylie Duerson. Many of you know that Karla is pregnant with a little girl.  After our 20 week ultrasound, our midwife referred us to a high-risk pregnancy doctor.  We went to this appointment on Tuesday.  The doctor found that Wylie “likely” has Down syndrome.  There were a few indicators that led to this assessment: 1)There are two choroid plexus cysts on her brain (these are harmless, but often present in babies with a genetic disorder), and 2) her… Read More »An update on our baby girl…

Accepted By Christ

By Karla Duerson: A theme emerges as of late and I am compelled to write a note of it to you all—my church family.  Here are the threads: –At a party with a conversation about acceptance and being liked… –A gathering around the Advent wreath reading these words by Ann Voscamp sparked by Ruth and Naomi’s relationship, “When God is our God, we take His people as our people, and we take a vow of forever love and loyalty…” –English Grammar instruction with Guy discussing “The Quarrel” in which body parts cease their work after fighting over whose function was… Read More »Accepted By Christ

Birth Pains

By Karla Duerson There has been that moment every time.  He has to come out.  She has to come out.  This has been what I’ve been wanting.  Right?  Pregnant women know about the time to which I am referring.  The time when you realize that the baby has to come out—one way or another! Truthfully, when I reached the middle to end of my last trimester of pregnancy I was ready to hold my baby in my arms, not around my waist.  I delighted in carrying my Guy, Emma, Kendall and Beau within me, but I also cherished the thought… Read More »Birth Pains