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Bite-Size Peace Devotions
Once upon a time in college, I was responsible for planning a chapel service. I racked my brain for weeks. Who should speak? What topic would serve best? How could I format it all to encourage worship? As I asked around campus, I realized what we all would appreciate most was time. Specifically, time with…
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Meet Abigail Ruth Brenner
So I’ve been on a bit of an adventure… Will you join me? (And my 9-year-old imaginary friend named Abigail who I’d love for you to meet, plus her people?) I’ve been trying to find the words to share this adventure for a while and I just keep coming back to “Wow wow wow this…
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I’m Tired, Lord {30 Day Devotional Series}
Tired minds tend to go in loops. You start with one thought, get lost on the way to the next, and come back to where you started. Each day for the next 30 days, I’ll post a series of short devotions that are meant to help your tired thought loop come back again and again…
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What Are You Waiting For?
You are waiting for something right now. Dinner? An apology? A call from a loved one? Treatment to start working? All four of these things? We are always waiting both for trivial things and for the stuff that makes life meaningful. This is hard. Waiting can be lonely, worrying, and exhausting. We don’t like it….
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A Hopeful Habit When Your Future Is Hard to Predict
I ordered a new wall calendar out of habit. But when I opened it to begin filling in plans, I realized…I had only one. Surgery. After that, only rough guesses, and they differ by doctor. The circumstances leading to surgery might resolve, they might not. Recovery might be steady and sort-of quick, or it might…
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Life without the Force
“Life without using force.” Sounds very Star Wars, doesn’t it? But this is essentially what I answered when someone asked me what I’ve been learning in a hard, limiting season. I’ve always been a doer with a fairly high capacity. The planner. The organizer. The host. The follow-upper. Lately, I haven’t been able to *make*…
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2025 Good List
Another year, another list of some good gifts I’ve been grateful for over the past 365 days… Thank you, Lord! What’s on your 2025 good list?
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Come Thou Unexpected Jesus
It’s wonderful to know what to expect as Christmas traditions begin– our beloved old faux tree, the snowglobes with nativity scenes, the cozy lights hung up. And of course, our advent “calendar.” We hang a homemade ornament on the tree each night that features two Bible references. First, an Old Testament prophecy. Next, Christ fulfilling…
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A Ramp Out of the Worry Rut
I always chuckled at the homemade turn lanes… Two solitary, stick-straight country roads criss-crossed at perfect 90-degree angles. But over the years, locals decided they didn’t want to make such a decisive turn at the quiet intersection. They made a more leisurely turn over the grass instead. They did it so often that the grass…
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Failing at the Right Things
While we were newlyweds, my husband visited a seminary he was considering attending. His tour guide, an older student, gave him this sage advice: “If getting a ‘C’ in class means getting an ‘A’ in marriage, take that ‘C.’” Those words stuck with us, teaching us something that has applied far beyond classroom settings and…
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Why I Love Praying ‘All is Yours’
I don’t remember how or when it started, but at some point, I frequently began praying, “all is yours.” Many of my prayers are punctuated with this simple recollection. It’s a refrain that sticks with me because it so helpfully redirects my perspective. Remembering that all is the Lord’s helps me to… Acknowledge Acknowledging that…
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On Being Weak Well
“In sickness and in health” was part of our relationship before we ever said our vows. When Matt and I met, he had already been diagnosed with a couple of chronic illnesses. Although I lived with chronic pain, his challenges were much more significant. We knew from the start that our lifestyle would be shaped…
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Peace in Jesus is Unique
This post is a reshare of what I shared last week as a little experiment on Substack. If you’d like to receive a weekly Bite-Size Peace Devotion, you can sign up below. **I thought I could automatically send these devotions to anyone subscribed to First and Second already, but sadly can’t! Sorry! You’ll have to…