Misc

In Silence He Moves

I never imagined being here — in seminary, homeschooling, blogging, choir, and maybe more. I didn’t really ask for this life…I just followed the path God laid before me and here I am… It doesn’t make sense. I never would have started seminary if I knew I’d be homeschooling… Blogging and writing and speaking and…

Memorial Day 2013

Today we are to remember. Remember the price of freedom and those who died so we could be free. Today we remember freedom isn’t free. It is hard fought. We think of the hundreds of thousands of souls who stood and died to protect our nation. Those who fought so we could be independent. Those…

Finding Joy

Rain. It fell sporadically throughout the morning. The clouds hid the rising sun and it fit. This morning wasn’t going to bring the hope of a new day. It was the day my fears would be confirmed. The day my doctor drew blood. The test would say what the home test told me…

Praying for Revival

Father God thank You for being Holy – completely different than me. I praise You for Your goodness and mercy. Thank You for grace unimaginable. Oh my God You are so patient with me. Thank You for making a wretch like me Your treasure. Thank You for Jesus who died so I could live. Forgive…

Walking on Unstable Snow

“Unstable snow,” my friend and expert snow-shoer hollered over her shoulder. I grinned as the snow sunk an inch under the weight of my next step. I began to take baby steps to prevent myself from doing the splits should the snow truly give-way. The snow glittered in the sunlight as a mountain in the…

Being Grounded to be Free – Memory Monday

Oh to be grounded in God. On my knees. On what I allow my mind to dwell. In where I fix my eyes. In the paths I walk. As I die to me and live to Him. There is freedom. Freedom from doubt, condemnation, fear. And freedom feels wildly out of control. Yet God…

Pouring Out to be Filled

“I love you. You are my child,” I insisted. “But why? I am a pain,” my child asserted. “You are young and it is my job to train you so you will love God and be a wise adult,” I replied. “Sometimes you say and do things that hurt my feelings. Sometimes I get…

Lent and Memory Monday on Tuesday

“I thought fried meant crispy,” my partner in giving up fried foods for lent wrote in a text. Visions of chips, fried chicken, and french fries swirled through my head. My heart twisted inside me. I want to do this first Lent season right. I am giving up something for forty days so I can…

Lent not Lint

I have always loved singing praises to God and songs, well, I can figure them out pretty quickly. So before I could read I would sing praises to Jesus with gusto. One Sunday morning I sat in a blue plastic chair next to my parents and siblings. The white tile floor of the community center…

Perspective and Memory Monday

“I will never. . .” “I don’t understand why anyone would. . .” I have eaten more than my share of words. I think God enjoys it when I realize the irony. I wasn’t going to marry a doctor or work with fifth and sixth graders or consider fertility treatments. I was also going…

Misc

EnJOYing Election Season: Cultivating Joy in the Chaos

“Evangelicals for Harris” are all CHINOS — Christians In Name Only. God is not fooled. Neither should we be fooled. My Social Media feeds are full of vitriol…from both sides of the political divide. “How can any Christian vote for a convicted criminal, rapist, insurrectionist, etc.” And it grieves me. The Bible says that all…

Art and Beauty: How to Embrace Beauty to Change Culture

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way… things I had no words for.” ― Georgia O’Keeffe Sometimes we forget that God created beauty. At least we evangelicals who value utilitarianism above beauty and art do. We forget that God is the original artist. He paints on canvases…

A Reason to Go to Church: God’s Presence and Joy

“Silence is the perfectest herald of joy. I were but little happy if I could say how much.” Claudio, Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare God does something special when His people come together as a congregation. When we sing, take communion, baptize people, listen to the preaching of God’s Word, His presence comes to us in a special…

Joy and Presence

Just a note…I have missed sharing this space with you all. So through prayer and planning, my goal is to post here twice a month. I hope you are blessed. Where Joy is Found You [the LORD] reveal the path of life to me;in your presence is abundant joy;at your right hand are eternal pleasures. Psalm…

Intimacy, Holiness, and Power

“Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?” Psalm 15:1 My heart echoes the cry of the psalmist. How do I get close to God? How do I develop a deep and abiding relationship? Can I move-in with God? What must I do so I can dwell with…

Discipline and Missions

The word God gave me this year is discipline… I am flat out bad at it. I feel constrained by schedules and when I don’t accomplish tasks on the days I plan I chastise myself. But then I don’t plan my time and so I have a stack of things that need mended or a…

God Did It – A Conference, A Call, and You

In case you didn’t know, last week I spoke at The M.O.M. Initiative’s Better Together Conference. Here are some pictures of the conference. I flew on a plane to Jacksonville, Florida and met with 22 authors and speakers who shared break-out sessions and keynotes to several hundred women. It was a sweet time of…

Things You Shouldn’t Say because Infertility Hurts

A salesperson bounced toward me as I lifted my two-year-old into a navy-blue shopping cart. “She is so cute. Can I have her?” she teased as the blood drained from my face. I turned toward my precious girl, throat tightening, “No.” I shook my head. “Why not? You can just have more,” her words pierced…

Ash Wednesday Fail

Yesterday was the first day of the Lenten season. I did not grow up observing Lent, but as I began to read about this season the more I felt drawn to it. 46 days including Sundays and Maudy Thursday, Good Friday, and the day before Easter. Yes 46 days to focus on Christ…to begin in…

How to Choose Joy

Nehemiah 8:10 says, “…Do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” And grief it is natural to this sinful world. It oozes into the beautiful moments of life… When someone near us should be there, but isn’t. When what is reminds us of a should have been. And the ache threatens…

Misc

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