My family had recently moved to a new state, and months later, everything still felt different. As I tried preparing for Christmas, I struggled adapting to a new climate and new home where none of my decorations fit quite the way they had years past. I made a million trips to Target, constantly adding to …
Finding Real Rest
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on …
Bringing Him All
Morning routine. It’s always chaos. When we find ourselves with five minutes until we have to leave, forget putting away laundry or finishing last night’s dishes. Make sure everyone is dressed, wiggle some shoes on, toss each kid a few muffins, and get in the van. Regardless of our season in life, living in the …
Much to Celebrate
All I wanted was a peaceful breakfast. A morning without kids kicking each other's stools, fighting over who gets the pink cup, or hearing “mooommmm!!” Shouldn’t a Bible verse on the wall solve for that? As I continue to observe that printed piece of paper, I laugh a bit for thinking it would be easy …
Let Every Person Be… Slow to Anger
It was meant to be helpful, the response I received upon venting frustrations. But it wasn’t. It had the opposite effect. I could feel my blood pressure rising, my heartbeat increasing. I held it in. I continued holding it all night. I couldn’t let it go. I didn’t want to. I felt so justified. I …
Let Every Person Be… Slow to Speak – Towards God
“What if I said, ‘Stop praying’? What if I told you to stop talking at God for a while, but instead to take a long, hard look at Him before you speak another word? Solomon warned us not to rush into God’s presence with words. That’s what fools do. And often, that’s what we do.” …
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Let Every Person Be… Slow to Speak – Towards Man
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be... slow to speak... - James 1:19But what does this look like in our lives? In high school, my Spanish professor nicknamed me “Boca”. For anyone without an introductory lesson in the language, boca, so eloquently, means mouth. I guess you could say I had a slight …
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Let Every Person Be… Quick to Hear
"Let every person be quick to hear..." - James 1:19 My kids had been assigned the dreaded chore: clean your rooms. And a cleaning did those rooms ever need. So imagine my delight when I don’t see my daughter in her room, accomplishing the required task. Instead, I find her upstairs, where she appeared to …
A Call to Worship – Our Ever Gracious God
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. - James 1:19 I printed this verse for my kids. Not because they wanted it, of course. Rather, because I wanted it for them. I wanted it for me. For my peace of mind. For my sanity …
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The thief comes
We were in the middle of nowhere driving through the midwest one summer, heading to a cabin to meet family. Unexpectedly, my husband and my phone alarms sounded. There was a tornado warning. We looked around at the beautiful blue sky and figured the GPS location must have disconnected, so we continued on our way. …
Soaking in the Son 