Category: Faith
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Condemnation vs. Conviction
“That’s the worst,” is the sort of thing we tend to say when someone tells us about the flu, or a car fluke, or the frustration of Netflix discontinuing a favorite show. The Apostle Paul had a different sort of view. “I am the worst,” he said, referencing his sinful self in 1 Timothy 1:15.…
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What Does God’s Will Include?
One summer, I got food poisoning that set my body off-kilter for months. Crashing on the couch after just an hour of work made me feel useless in every way. Another time, I couldn’t find work. All I had was freelance writing, and all the projects wrapped at once. Day after day for a season,…
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3 Truths for the Overwhelmed
My calendar always ends up a mess. Circles highlight the things I didn’t get to, but need to. Scribbles hide the things that aren’t getting done anytime soon. Dashes check off what I’ve done- and sometimes they cover the whole square for each day. Life is full of little things right now, but: Every little…
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Big Small Things
As I looked at circumstances that seemed to swell ominously, I determined to believe: God could overcome them all. The trouble was, as I sized up the giants and the hurdles, they all seemed quite tall. I believed God could overcome them, but from my perspective, He still looked quite small next to them. Believing…
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Reminder: We Need Reminders!
A friend recently asked me to help her improve her planning skills. I beamed at the request and could hardly wait to share my top tip with her: remind, remind, remind. If you have a deadline, write it down so you remember. Then count back two days and write a reminder to work on it.…
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Settling for Crumbs
It was a long drive, and the dog spent the first 4 hours on my lap. He hadn’t been fed much that morning (to reduce the number of stops needed.) For our food-obsessed pet, a small breakfast is a big deal. Eyes laser-focused, he watched as we nibbled on snacks here and there, sniffing the…
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My Simple Best
More than a writer, I’m a thinker. My brain is constantly active- digging, absorbing, sorting, putting together, observing, etc. Etc. As a thinker, I like details. I like to organize them all and fit them together to create a big, powerful picture. I love making points that lead up to a concept that sticks. And…
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How God Uses Long-Distance Bible Study Fellowship
Seven years into our marriage, my husband and I have lived in four different states. We’ve been a part of five churches in that time, and had plenty of in-between, “church-seeking seasons”, too. With so many seasons of transition, participation in Bible study has looked a little different for me. Thankfully, God’s Word isn’t bound…
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The Grace of Choices
“It’s no big deal,” I told myself and others when I failed to make edible bread- again. On the one hand, it wasn’t that big a deal. Whether I’m an excellent bread-baker or not doesn’t affect much in my daily life. But on the other hand…I stopped trying to bake bread. A handful of failed…
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My Shrug, God’s Shrub
There’s this shrub in our yard. When we moved in, it was bare like everything else. I couldn’t figure out what it was, or what to do with it. So, while I learned about our other plants and began tending garden, this shrub was left for God to manage. It was a harrowing experience. My…