No longer “the blind girl”: the Debbie Puffer story

February 15, 2025 Categories: MiraclesTags: healing

One of Debbie Puffer’s earliest memories is walking into her fourth-grade class at a new school and the teacher saying, “This is our new student, Debbie, and she’s blind.” Debbie fought back tears that day. She had never been called blind before, and she was mortified. No doubt, Debbie (pictured left) knew she had problems with her vision. She has no distance vision, and the only thing she can see on the eye chart is the big E, so she is legally blind. In fact, when Debbie was in second grade at Our Lady of Victory Catholic school, Sister Joseph…

What you might find when searching for a miracle

It was my junior year of college and I didn’t have the money I needed to pay off my tuition for the fall semester. I was a couple hundred dollars short and there was no Plan B. Believe it or not, I had no student loans. I was fortunate enough to have a scholarship that covered half of my tuition. And thanks to going to a state university, the bill was low enough that I could make the payments by working 25 hours a week as an errand runner at the hospital. Somehow, though, I hadn’t saved enough money to…

My baby nephew was dying and his mother’s response was unforgettable

July 14, 2018July 14, 2018 Categories: Miracles · This and ThatTags: faith · miracles · prayer · waiting

My seven-month-old nephew Canaan was dying and nobody knew it, including his doctor, who had misdiagnosed his digestive issues. The real issue was Hirschsprung’s disease, one of the leading causes of death for kids like Canaan, who has Down Syndrome.

Don’t be afraid to ask God for a miracle

November 27, 2017November 27, 2017 Categories: Miracles · This and ThatTags: faith · kids · miracles

Today is the 15th birthday of a young man named Canaan Rogers. This birthday was not supposed to happen. When Canaan, my nephew, was seven months old, he nearly died because of a doctor’s misdiagnosis of a serious illness. By the time the doctors figured out what was really going on, it was too late. Canaan was all but gone.

God May Be the One Nudging You to Speak

March 6, 2017March 7, 2017 Categories: MiraclesTags: doubt · faith · grace · Holy Spirit · miracles · temptation2 Comments

One day last year, I was in a little convenience store in downtown D.C., where I quickly grabbed a drink and headed to the cash register. Three ladies were working, and when I looked at the youngest of the three (in the center of the photo) a simple phrase came into my head and seemed like it was just for her: Don’t settle for less.

God Doesn’t Do Coincidences

October 31, 2016October 31, 2016 Categories: Miracles · This and ThatTags: faith · grace · waiting

Throughout my 20s, one of the biggest sources of stress in my life was the fear that God didn’t really love me and that I would never really know where I stood with Him. At one one point, however, I put His love to the test: I went on a sinning spree that took me further than I wanted to go and convinced there was no way back.

Yes, Jesus Loves Barrabas

March 25, 2016 Categories: MiraclesTags: faith · forgiveness · grace · guilt · healing · sin

Most of my life, I’ve resented Barrabas, the criminal who got released on Good Friday instead of Jesus, who was sent off to be tortured to death. Now, I’m grateful for his example.

Explaining the Birth of Jesus to the Kids

October 3, 2015October 6, 2015 Categories: MiraclesTags: kids · miracles · parenthood

This morning, my daughters and I were talking about the birth of Jesus, and I was trying to think of a way to capture the wonder of it. I mean, it’s one thing to say “God became a man” – but I wanted them to get it, to grasp how bizarre it was that the God of the universe humbled Himself and moved into the body of a vulnerable baby boy.

Opening our Eyes to See Miracles All Around

January 19, 2015January 20, 2015 Categories: MiraclesTags: faith · grace · miracles

The other day, my family and I were driving down the highway when a massive flock of birds rose from a lake and flew over the car, endlessly blanketing the early evening sky.

The Meaning Behind My Christmas Miracle

December 22, 2014April 21, 2015 Categories: MiraclesTags: friendship · grace · miracles

Christmas of 2002 was rough for me. I was in law school, and unlike many other students, I had taken out the absolute minimum amount of loans to avoid years of indebtedness after graduation. I was eventually grateful for that, but in the middle of my second semester, I was literally pulling together change to pay for groceries.

The Holy Spirit Literally Opened a Door for My Family Today

June 25, 2014June 28, 2014 Categories: MiraclesTags: faith · grace · Holy Spirit · miracles · prayer3 Comments

The other day, I had a phone conversation with a priest who serves an extremely impoverished population. He also has a ministry in which he teaches people how to be more aware of themselves and God during their daily lives. The way we ended up on the phone is so random that it’s not even worth it to explain, but what stood out to me was how joyful, sharp, and engaged he was – especially as he talked about the Holy Spirit. I admire people who can concretely talk about the Holy Spirit; because although He feels closer than my skin sometimes, at other…

How We Learn from the Holy Spirit

February 28, 2014May 23, 2014 Categories: MiraclesTags: doubt · faith · grace · miracles · parenthood · prayer2 Comments

This morning, I was washing dishes and had my back turned to my four-year-old, who was coloring. “Daddy, I can make a ‘V,’” she said.

Jesus, the Alien Superhero

December 25, 2013November 28, 2014 Categories: MiraclesTags: doubt · faith · miracles

I have an agnostic friend named Ben who regularly peppers me with politely-antagonistic questions about my faith. For example, the other day, he asked me whether I really believed what the Bible said about Jesus’ life.

Am I Giving up on Getting Healed?

August 27, 2013March 12, 2016 Categories: MiraclesTags: healing9 Comments

In 2009, I began experiencing mysterious, migraine-like symptoms that came out of nowhere. When the symptoms worsened over the course of several weeks, I went to a doctor.

A Little Girl Screamed, God Listened

April 30, 2013January 5, 2014 Categories: MiraclesTags: faith · sacrifice5 Comments

Last Monday, my friend Paul Perkins was standing on a street corner in Washington, DC, breathing hard and feeling very annoyed. He had just run after a taxi, which he was afraid was carrying his keys, but the driver didn’t stop when Paul ran after him.

Joshua Rogers

Finding God in the Ordinary

Category: Miracles