by vfcadmin | Jun 24, 2026 | Blog Home, Year of Reflection
When God Restores Ruth Ann Stites, Staff Writer Some years ago, I read my way through Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series of novelsbeginning with Master and Commander. The serieschronicles the careers of two British officers in the early 1800’s. Richard Snow in...
by vfcadmin | Jun 17, 2026 | Blog Home, Year of Reflection
Though the Mountains Fall Ruth Ann Stites, Staff Writer On November 10, 1975, an American cargo ship, the Edmond Fitzgerald, sank in Lake Superior. Her fate might have been a footnote in the history of the Great Lakes except for folk singer and songwriter Gordon...
by vfcadmin | Jun 10, 2026 | Blog Home, Year of Reflection
Our Mighty Fortress is a Person Ruth Ann Stites, Staff Writer When you think of a revolutionary, a scholar may not be the first person to come to mind. Yet one of the most revolutionary figures in European history was a cleric and university professor. His name?...
by vfcadmin | Jun 3, 2026 | Blog Home, Year of Reflection
God Our Refuge (Psalm 46) Michael Floyd, Editor God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains...
by vfcadmin | May 27, 2026 | Blog Home, Year of Reflection
A Delightful Prospect Ruth Ann Stites, Staff Writer Pastor McCarty gave me a major edit to a manuscript we are working on. It concerned the meaning of delight. He used Psalm 37:4 as his focus text and the story behind his accepting the pastorate at UBC Fayetteville as...
by vfcadmin | May 20, 2026 | Blog Home, Year of Reflection
Bold Rahab Ruth Ann Stites, Staff Writer Do you remember the song, “Joshuah Fought the Battle of Jericho”? I think this spiritual, with vivid words and upbeat music, is memorable. The first verse goes: “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho Joshua...
by vfcadmin | May 13, 2026 | Blog Home, Year of Reflection
Living in Prayer’s Transition Zone Ruth Ann Stites, Staff Writer Growing up in Benton County, Arkansas in a family interested in nature introduced me to many aspects of the natural world. While we lived on a mountain, much of Benton County, especially the western...
by vfcadmin | May 6, 2026 | Blog Home, Year of Reflection
Seeking the Face of God (Psalm 27) Michael Floyd, Editor The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?When the wicked advance against me to devour me,it is my enemies and my foes who will...
by vfcadmin | Apr 29, 2026 | Blog Home
Being Faithful Ruth Ann Stites, Staff Writer Over 150 years ago on Sunday, September 18, 1870, members of the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition entered the Upper Geyser Basin in what would become Yellowstone National Park.[1] The first geyser they saw would be...
by vfcadmin | Apr 22, 2026 | Blog Home
Words of Beauty, Power, and Promise Ruth Ann Stites, Staff Writer One of the first Bible passages I memorized as a child was Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. He...
