Is God real? Why can I not see him?
These are several questions I’ve received from my children over the years. It can be easy for us to be afraid of the difficult questions, because we may not have the “right” answer. In this post I share some personal examples of how God revealed himself in some uncomfortable moments. Read and be encouraged to embrace the hard questions.
Read MoreOn a recent hike the questions kept coming. We sat as a family admiring the strength of this hardened magma and all I could think about is that this is the kind of foundation I want my life built upon.
This is the kind of foundation I want my kids to build their lives upon: a foundation that stands firm even when the sun is beating incessantly down upon their weary journeys. The kind of foundation that can still support when every comfort is stripped, every rational thought taken, every dollar lost. The kind of foundation that withstands erosion from the harshest storm.
Read MoreWhat if we stopped looking for life to get easier?
What if we stopped looking for that trophy, that upgrade or that prize and begin to leverage everything we have for a life beyond the here and now?
Read MoreThis one phrase I learned on my homeschooling journey spins around the mazes of my mind quite often these sun-filled days and motivates me to press on: “I am a lead learner”.
Here I discuss what being a Lead Learner in your home entails and encourage you to take hold of every opportunity to learn, listen and act.
Read MoreThe passing down of stories creates legacy but it also creates tradition.
Here I share a personal story from my own family and suggest that in order to bridge the differences between us, we must search our own hearts first and foremost. As we acknowledge our own privilege, then we can live the greater privilege of truly loving others.
Read MoreAfter feeling burdened this week for the growing needs around me, I was reminded that even while bearing one another’s burdens we have an opportunity to cast our cares on One who promises to carry them for us.
Anyone who has gone fishing can testify that the art of casting is a tricky skill to master and can threaten to steal the joy of the entire journey.
May I encourage you to experience the sustaining power of God by casting your burdens on the One who can carry them? What does it look like for you to cast more and carry less?
Read more here.
Read MoreHow long will it be this way?
The undefined timetable of this life we have come to know over the past few months is what stings the most. How long will we fear connection, how long will the days be filled with increasing unknowns or how long will our prayers hang without clear answers?
If there ever has been a time to turn our eyes to a reality beyond our day to day it is now.
Read MoreThis one line, sung not stated, catapults me back to one of my favorite childhood TV shows.
With one lyrical line sung to a catchy tune, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” sent influential messages from Mr. Fred Rogers, who lived out of what he believed. What we believe informs the kind of neighbor we are to those God has placed in our lives. Here I share real stories from NYC to Texas and encourage you to think about how real needs can usher us into real relationships.
Read MoreLooking for comfort too? I read in Psalm 119: 50 that our comfort in times of affliction come through his promises. It helped my heart to remember some of his promises and I pray they encourage you too.
Read MoreSo cliché, this phrase tends to lose significance.
However, during this season more than any other, I talk through what it looks like to view the very act of breathing as the miracle that it is. We are all invited to breathe differently. Here I explain what that can look like for you and for me.
Read MoreThe date keeps shifting. The virus keeps spreading. The uncertainties keep swirling.
And so we linger.
We have the opportunity to savor the gift of lingering long this week. Care to join me?
Read MoreThese unprecedented times overwhelmingly remind us that no matter where you live or what your background, you will feel sacrifice and suffering in some way. Suffering is a universal state that is common to humanity and was, no doubt, before any Coronavirus entered the scene.
Here I share three specific and reassuring comforts that come from finding shelter in the person of Jesus. I pray these encourage your heart and strengthen your trust in the refuge that is always available to you.
Read MoreOver a month ago as I planned my intentions for the weeks leading up to Easter, this week was a time I wanted to focus on memorizing scripture. This also happens to be the week that I find myself waking up at 4am consistently filled with swirling anxious thoughts. Maybe I am not alone.
In this post, I reflect on Psalm 119 and am reminded to treasure the word of God in my heart to lead us through the battles ahead.
Maybe you will find that anchor your heart is longing for in this season and begin to hide it in your heart for the journey.
Read MoreAt a time when our calendar is clear, our pantry is stocked (for now) and our fears heightened, how we posture our hearts will determine what we model for those around us. How we posture our hearts will reveal who or what we are trusting in to get us through. For me, I am intentionally pursuing the discipline of remaining in a posture of prayer, and invite you to join me.
Here are a few resources that I am using to deepen my prayer life and thought I’d share.
Read MoreLast week we considered together how to stay hungry for that which truly fulfills. The fact remains, however, that we can be completely full and yet our souls can be empty. So, how do we continue growing in seasons of plenty?
How does the good news of what Jesus accomplished not lose its significance in the moments of ease?
Read MoreWhile not true for everyone, many of us live with enough resources to meet our own daily needs while satisfying our own bellies and pursuing our own daily pleasures.
This question haunted me one day: Could it be that one of the main reasons we don’t hunger after something greater is because we are so easily stuffed full with lesser things? Here I discuss what it would look like to say no to something in order to say yes to the One who truly satisfies.
Read More“All things on earth need to be renewed. No created thing continues by itself…” - Charles Spurgeon
I am writing goals, setting plans and am filled with the excitement of a new year, but I am also reminded that what I need even more is ‘reNEWal’. Renewing my mind by focusing on the things of God, not man. Renewing my body with things that fuel it well to run the race. Renewing my soul by asking myself often, how can I wait well?
Read MoreTurning 41 and entering a new decade has me thinking through the process of aging more than ever before. I am pretty sure I’m not alone , even if you find yourself in a different decade. As we begin a new year with new perspective, new rhythms and new goals, it is critically important to anchor our hearts in truth and remind ourselves about lasting renewal so that we can continue on this journey together.
Read MoreI just returned from an incredibly dreamy, indulgent ten-day trip around France with my husband to celebrate 40 years of life and 15 years together, and then I came home. So, now what?
Have you ever explored the unceasing pleasures that can be found in someone who transcends the fleeting pleasures of earth? As beautiful and lovely and amazing as the things we experience here and now, there is someone infinitely more beautiful and lovely that never ceases.
Read MoreHow a cooking class preparing cilantro turned into a life lesson on freedom. The freedom that comes from sharing truth is life-changing for those on the receiving end. I began to think of the life-changing freedom that comes when we believe Jesus really is who he says he is and we are who he says we are.
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