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How do you celebrate the Easter season?
Early in our marriage, my husband told me Easter is his favorite holiday- and he wanted to really celebrate it. I was at a loss. The day Jesus rose from the grave is an important one, but somehow “Easter season” doesn’t have the same ring to it as “the most wonderful time of the year.”…
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No Way, No How
Standing on the edge of my own big, wild, crazy nightmares or dreams, I remember the words I’ve seen shared around the internet “When there isn’t a way out, go through.” It’s true. But, sometimes, looking around, there isn’t a way through. Sometimes the door is slammed shut in your face and all the others are locked…
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The Big Picture of Fear
On our first-ever house-hunting excursion, we walked into a little ranch with chalk paint on the cabinets in the kitchen. If it had been anywhere near our price range, I would have bought it on the spot just for that feature. In an instant, I was imagining how we’d use that chalk wall. I’d draw…
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3 Laws of Change
Her wrinkled hand clasped my arm for stability as we took a slight step down. “I need help ever since it happened,” she said apologetically. “Since what?” I asked, unsure if she had an injury I hadn’t heard about and ought to be aware of. Playfully, she shot back, “since I got old!” The sweet…
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A Shift in Perspective
The kitchen countertops were covered with ingredients, bowls, and cooking utensils. I started cooking in the late afternoon, consumed with preparing an elaborate meal. After I-don’t-know-how-long, my father-in-law stepped into the kitchen. “Ta-da” he announced. Lights flicked on. Turns out, I’d been cooking in the dark. It was amazing what a difference a shift in…
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God, Grief, and Good Books
The email came after two others. First, a rejection letter. Second, a bitter note intended to wound. Third, an invitation to read the pre-release of a book about grief. At the time, I was sitting beside a sleeping loved one in the throes of painful, frightening suffering and uncertainty. It won’t surprise you that I…
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God’s Reliability: Updating to 5.0
We know all too well the adrenaline rush of a beloved phone fizzling out or breaking. Updates to social media page layouts and software give us pause. If our apps and icons re-arrange themselves to “improve” efficiency, we can’t get anything done quickly for days! It’s normal to get used to doing things a certain…
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Faith Fears and God’s Trustworthiness
What’s the scariest part of faith for you? If you’re not sure, think of the Bible stories you know. Which parts lead you to panic and protest, reacting with “but you wouldn’t ask that of me, right God?!” In different Bible studies and conversations with friends, I’ve head different responses to these sorts of questions….
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(Non-Bible) Lessons I’ve Learned from Bible Study
If you spend time reading and studying Scripture, you will learn a lot… and not just about key themes or specific commands or the people featured on the pages. You’ll also learn about yourself and the people around you, how to study God’s Word better, and about God’s character. Things I’ve learned from writing about…
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Is Your New Year’s Resolution Biblical?
As a copywriter, one of my tasks is to write marketing materials. Something I’ve learned writing ads, emails, and more is that every goal has another goal behind it. This is called a motive. You may think your goal is to lose weight this year. But what’s the goal behind losing weight? Your motive may…