Last winter, on my 29th birthday, I wanted to reach another goal and check another dream off my bucket list by the time I turned the big 3-0. I spent a few weeks considering what goal would be worth pursuing based on my interests and values.
Read MoreI have always loved looking at people’s hands. I love my husband’s hands, especially the older he gets. They are large, rough, and starting to show his age. I love my mom’s hands— they’re beautiful and show the years she spent raising her daughters, caring for her elderly mom, and helping me with my kids when they were little. I love my dad’s hands—he is ninety years old and they look very similar to this picture you see. These people that I mentioned are known for their hands, and hands represent a life lived.
Read MoreThis fall I am on the home stretch of a goal to read through the Bible in one year. I wrapped up the Old Testament during the dog days of summer, which gave me a new perspective on persistence in patience, and am finally reading the good news in the fresh air of fall. Wrapping up the Old Testament during the dog days of summer and reading the good news in the freshness fall brings. It has been a joy to read of new life and new freedom in the new season.
Read MoreMundane tasks; sometimes hard work that goes unappreciated. So many things can drain you of the energy in your battery cells. Though the keys of life are in the ignition to start your day, many times you feel your whole being refuses to “turn on,” as if your battery was dead.
Read MoreI, (Alycia), had the pleasure of interviewing Anna Cantrall to discuss her life and incredible story. Every person has a story, a testimony that shows how God took them from glory to glory. This is Anna’s story.
Read MoreInformation overload. Do those words ring any alarms for you? They do for me, especially right now in the times we’re living in. Everything feels so heavy in the world—and it is! Sometimes I feel overwhelmed. Do you? I think it’s okay to admit when we are not “okay”. One place I often feel frustrated is while I’m on social media. There are such great things about social media and I am an advocate for all of them. I love to be a light in that corner of the internet and I do believe that God can use each of us who belong to Him, even through our social media accounts. A frustrating side of social media is reading everyone’s opinions on everything under the sun.
Read MoreWhat do you do when life disappoints you? Or what about when it’s someone who lets you down? How do you handle those moments in life?
Read MoreWhether we want to admit it or not, each of us has faced the blow of rejection at some point in our lives — whether personal or professional. No one in history has been spared the bitter taste of this (Jesus included; His rejection was something else altogether! See Isaiah 53:3.) and sometimes, it can feel like a real struggle to move past it.
Read MoreWhenever I find myself in a used bookstore, I browse every single section including the Christian books. Most of the time, I see the same books over and over at each store--the ones that have managed to become bestsellers across the country. I usually have either already read the ones available or know that they are not for me.
Read MoreOh dear, here I was, worrying again! A phone call I had just received had made my mood spiral down. I was reacting in ways I did not like. My heart was racing, I was fearful and sad, all at once.
Read MoreSeeking God and soaking in God’s word have been emphasized many times in the Bible. When we meditate on God’s word we carry them in our hearts and soak in their goodness and strength.
“Did you use your eyeballs?” I respond when my husband can’t find something and asks if I’ve seen it. He’s a good sport to go back, look more thoroughly and usually returns with the found object. We laugh that he can never see what is right under his nose.
Read MoreIt was a Friday morning, my day off- I enjoyed a quiet slow start and had a leisurely breakfast. As I prayed about how to spend my day, a verse I had read came to mind. “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.”-Matthew 7:12a NIV
Read MoreSwitching on the kettle to make my morning tea, I looked out through the window at the sky, dark with a beautiful full moon! I pull out my journal, Bible and pen- and sit on our red couch to meet with Jesus one on one!
Read MoreI just returned home from a trip out west with my family. We traveled to South Dakota and Wyoming seeing spectacular views, enjoying the outdoors and hiking strenuous trails. I always find a sense of peace when I am out there with no cell or Internet service, respecting and relishing in God’s creation.
Read MoreLast time we talked about burning ships and building bridges. We touched on my choice to not be in church leadership as a female. I want to tell you about a conversation that I had with an elder’s wife last week on the day that article came out.
Read MoreI have always preferred opposites. Noise to complete silence. Smiles instead of tears. Light instead of the dark
Read MoreI started this book review with Romans 12:2 because I believe that God allows us to choose what we intake and He also gives us discernment. I was asked to review “Everybody Fights, So why Not Get Better at It?” By Kim and Penn Holderness.
Read MoreWe often think of sanctuaries as sacred buildings adorned with stained glass, but sanctuaries are any place we can retreat for refuge and renewal. Any space that speaks to our souls and places us in a posture of reverence can be a sanctuary.
Read MoreThere is magic in a marsh sunset, when the water mirrors the sky above. I can watch the water, looking for ripples of movement to reveal the wildlife under the surface while admiring wispy clouds swirling overhead. And I can witness the water and sky as one, the water working to reflecting much bigger blue above.
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