I have been haunted for days by a scene from a show I was watching. I am going to try to paint this picture for you without spoiling any future viewing.
God's Glorious Natural Reminders
I have had the privilege of going out on a boat with my family in the Delaware Bay numerous times over the past few years. We have seen the water as smooth as glass and so rough we have to stick to the inner harbor! We have seen completely blue skies and fog so thick we could not see past 20 yards of water. We have seen ferries, sailboats, fishing boats, and carriers. We have seen osprey, pelicans, sea gulls, horseshoe crabs, turtles, and dolphins. We have jumped in and swam to shore. (Okay, my family has; I prefer clear pool water. But I watch.) Each time I am amazed by God’s creation – the diversity in colors, shapes, and abilities.
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Beauty From Ashes
Isaiah 61:3 talks about God giving us beauty for ashes and Ecclesiastes 3:11 says “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” This is a poem I wrote reflecting some thoughts about those two verses.
Lord, Your Word says you make all things beautiful
I want to believe this
I want to claim this
I want to know it deep within my heart
But Lord, some things are so ugly
My own heart seems beyond repair
Beauty seems so far away
I resonate with ashes, but beauty?
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God Works Even When We Can’t See It: Lessons from Joseph
Our Top Blogs of 2023 Show How Our Savior Shows Up for Us
Our Heavy Troubles are a Small Thing to a Giant
I recently watched a movie in which an American soldier was shot in Afghanistan while out on patrol. Only he and his translator survived from their unit. The translator was determined to get the soldier out of hostile territory and back to his base with no concern for his own life. One of the things that struck me in the movie was how well they portrayed the Herculean task that the translator was facing.
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The Impact of Words: Part Two
The Impact of Words: Part One
Reaching for My Father’s Hand
Glory in the Humdrum: A Prayer for the Bored, Weary, or Wilting
Heavenly Father,
You know my heart, so you know I am struggling to find joy in this current season of life. I feel stuck, crawling through this wilderness with no end in sight. I look desperately for meaning and purpose in days that feel long and mundane. I have dreams for my life that seem bigger than the place where I wake up. I wrestle with the disappointment of both what is and what has not yet come.
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Broken and Bleeding
The woman is not named, but her beautiful story is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke. It has connected with me like few others. She is known as the woman with a bleeding issue. This is not a pretty topic. It also might be hard to discuss candidly in a sermon. But we as women can certainly relate…and her story is worth a closer look.
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When More of Jesus Means More Difficulty
My focus during Lent this year has been to seek more of Jesus in my daily life. In my moving around the house, driving in my car, in my conversations, as I discipline my children, as I listen to my friends. I felt a need not to give something up but to make more room for why we even recognize this time of year.
Auld Lang Syne and Reflections on a Year Gone By
Auld Lang Syne - If you’ve been awake until midnight on New Year’s Eve, you’ve heard this song. Many of us try to sing along but very few of us actually know the words. In fact, it has been estimated that only 3% of people know the words…
Jesus is Enough
I spent a lot of my growing up years feeling guilty, like I was letting God down. I’d go my own way, turning my heart toward things of the world. Inevitably, I’d feel convicted, confess my sins, ask Jesus to come back into my heart and rededicate my life to him. This would last for a while, then before long, I would stray again.
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Our Hiding Place
Where was your favorite hiding spot as a kid?
My family had a sectional in our living room, and in between the bend in the sectional and the half-wall that separated the living room from the kitchen was the perfect little nook for a five-year-old who needed to hide.
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Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Home.
A Surprise Message
Over the last few months, I have learned (like many other teachers) that this “back to normal” school year is not actually “back to normal” at all. Somehow, with decreased health, safety precautions and the availability of a vaccine, this year seems even harder than last. A month or so ago I was in the middle of struggling with the school year, my mental health, and my general work life balance…
Refueling Your Tank
Do you ever feel like you’re running on fumes…or perhaps completely empty?
I imagine we have all experienced seasons where the reserves are running dry and we have nothing left in the tank.
Just over a year ago, I was in one of these seasons. A period of feeling like I was driving in circles, stuck in a perpetual NASCAR race wondering, “what’s the purpose...what’s my purpose?” I was discontent and burning out fast. That’s when my crew chief (Heavenly Father) called for a pit stop. Did I make it into the pit in time? Not quite... God had a literal pit stop in mind.
Do You Ever Confuse God with Santa?
Growing up I always knew that Santa Claus was not real. (Sorry. Probably should have prefaced with a “spoiler alert” before dropping that truth.) But I liked to pretend and had a great imagination, so I would put out my play food by our fireplace with a little note embracing the magic of the season.