I longed to be a faithful “prayer” for many years. My grandmothers were both known for their thriving prayer lives, but I discovered that sadly, faithful praying is not a genetic trait you can inherit. It’s learned and practiced. Essentially, I wanted to be like them without actually being like them and putting in the […]
The first time I went with my friend to her chemo infusion, I couldn’t stop looking at all the people. So much suffering in one building where everyone lines up for the poison that both cures and kills. A lot of bare heads, a lot of face masks, a lot of stubborn, steady hope that […]
Every year, in the days following Christmas, I make promises to myself. Weary of traveling for most of the holidays, sleeping little, and eating one Christmas dinner after another, I spend the last days of December mapping out a healthier life plan for the new year that includes more vegetables, earlier bed times, and less screen […]
I love preparing for the Advent season each year. When I talk with friends about our traditions, I’m sure they visualize my family gathered serenely around a wreath of candles, quietly absorbing the weight of the incarnation with our children, sipping hot cider and talking about how much we love this time of year. That’s […]
I went to bed that night with bitterness in my heart. It was a pretty ugly offense I was mad about—something that wounded me and others I loved. I’d spent much of the day just good and mad. Good and mad. Is that really how it is? I guess it feels good to be mad […]
Over the last six months, I’ve been working to understand the connection between walking in the Spirit so as not to gratify the desires of the flesh. My pastors preached through Galatians this fall, and the Scriptures seemed to shine a giant spotlight on my inability to find victory over sin. As I’ve felt the […]
Before Genesis, He was. Before the garden, before the fruit and the snake and the shame, He was. Before the Lord spoke words that formed stars and dirt from nothing, tree branches and blades of grass from emptiness, He was. Before there was light, He was. Jesus was. Jesus, the Son, was with God in the […]
Every Thursday, my friend Dora comes over for lunch and accountability. We catch up on life, talk about what God is teaching us, and confess our sins to one another. Our pastors are preaching through the book of Galatians this fall, and Dora and I find ourselves coming back to the sermon on Galatians 5:16-26 […]
This morning I realized a universal truth for women: under-eye concealer only goes so far. I’ve tried a lot of beauty products over the last few years to slow the visible process of aging, but no matter what concoction I slather on my face every night or sponge around my eyes in the morning, the […]
“Family worship” is a term we use a bit loosely for the dinner table devotions we enjoy as a family each night. My husband usually reads some Scripture, one of the kids prays for a neighbor or someone from church, and we all sing the Doxology together. The highlight for my two boys is to […]
