Journeying Home Together
These words have been simmering for almost three weeks now, and even as I sit ready to tell the story I’m not sure they’re ready. It’s a story that must be told, though, and because time has a way of smoothing out the edges of what cuts us deeply – in good or bad ways – I need to make sure to get these words down while I can. The
When I was a freshman in high school, I had an intense crush on an older boy. We’re talking intense, y’all. It was orderline obsessive, actually, and looking back, my behavior and feelings were completely unwarranted. I hardly knew him, save our experiences in first period Health & Safety class, and he literally didn’t know I existed. As friends can do, mine were determined to change that. Dissatisfied with my
I shared awhile back that prayer is a constant challenge to me. I struggle with it in so many ways, and even though I’m constantly working toward a deeper understanding of all that it can be, I often feel like I’m just doing it wrong somehow. Some of my struggle comes in the fact that I wonder, really, if my prayers actually accomplish anything. “Can I change the mind of
Happy new year, friends! My hope is that you had a truly special Christmas and that your new year is off to a good start. Sometimes we put so much pressure on the new year that when it actually comes, it has the same effect on our emotions as a much-anticipated birthday: we looked forward to it so much….but it came and went and nothing really changed. We’re still the
I turned 35 in August, and I’m still not sure how I feel about that. It feels strange, being so solidly in my adulthood and yet floundering in so many ways. I spend a lot of my days feeling like I’m just not doing it right. What is “it”? It’s pretty much, well…life. I don’t mean the “I can’t do anything right!” feeling that comes with burnt supper or soured laundry
Hey, friends! I’ve seen a lot of new faces around here over the past week or so, and I’m so excited to have some new friends with us on this journey. I’d love to get to know each of you personally, but since that’s not really practical or possible, I’m going to modify a trend I’ve seen on Instagram: Friday Introductions. Over the next few weeks, I’ll post something a
We naturally expect our kids to learn things over the course of a year of school. What I hadn’t anticipated, though, is how much I would learn. Over the past couple of days I’ve been doing some thinking about what I’ve learned (and relearned) this year, and I thought I’d share some of them with you. It’s not a bad thing when your child calls you by the teacher’s name.
A few months ago, I had the incredible opportunity to meet my absolute favorite singer and songwriter. Nichole Nordemann’s music was literally the soundtrack to God’s taking hold of my heart when I was a senior in college, and I have ever since thought of her as something of a spiritual hero to me. I wrote in greater detail about her role in my long, slow, permanent change here —> Clouds Overhead Since that
I had a bad feeling about things, so I rested my hand as gently as I could on the tiny rabbit in my lap and began to pray. “Lord, if this tiny animal is in any pain, take that pain away. Show me what to do to help. But if not, God….somehow be glorified in this situation.” All around, it was a strange situation. That morning’s sunlight had been so
I’m sitting at my desk – in my office – for the first time in almost a week. I preached at my home church a week ago, and that sermon consumed me. Absolutely consumed me. I told my congregation at church on Sunday that I had been in a wrestling match with the Holy Spirit all week, and that is really the best way I can describe it. Based
