As I’ve been thinking about abide over the last few weeks, my mind keeps coming back to the word abode, as in dwelling or home. For most of us, our homes are where we feel most comfortable, most like ourselves, most at ease. It’s where we know we belong. I’ve lived in six different homes… Continue Reading
If you’ve been following along with me this year, you know that one of my goals for 2018 was to memorize a verse or short passage of Scripture every month. This wasn’t the first time I’ve set this goal, but my experience this year was far deeper and richer than any other time I’ve memorized… Continue Reading
From my observations and discussions with people who do not claim Jesus as Lord, one of the biggest barriers to faith is their inability to reconcile God’s goodness with the brokenness in our world. They do not understand how a sovereign God could allow so many horrible things to happen in this world, and in… Continue Reading
“But what if God doesn’t have the movie Bolt at His house in Heaven?” This was Charleston’s panicked question at dinner the other night. The tears welling up in his eyes were evidence of how deeply this concern had been weighing on him. His faith was in the balance; for Charleston, a God who couldn’t… Continue Reading
We’ve been singing a song at church lately that has me in a puddle of tears the moment I hear the opening chords. The chorus of the song reads, “On the other side of everything I’m afraid of You are standing with Your arms wide open, wide open Even in my deepest doubts and wonder… Continue Reading
I’ve found that when I’m paying attention, I tend to go through seasons when God is speaking openly and directly to me about a specific topic. Lately, the Lord has been teaching me about the power of words. This passage from Ephesians 4 has crossed my path on numerous occasions this month, and I took… Continue Reading
“You are God’s workmanship.” It’s a phrase (lifted from Ephesians 2) that’s been running through my head in recent weeks, a lifeline that has been carrying me through days when I feel less than—less than good enough, less than worthy enough, less than I was made to be. I’ve made no secret of the fact that… Continue Reading
Several weeks ago, I had a conversation with my therapist about the topic of rest. I was bemoaning the fact that rest and relaxation have become nonexistent in my life. It’s true that I’m a mom to a young child and that our lives are fairly busy, but to be honest, my days are much… Continue Reading
I’ve spent a majority of my life living in “stress mode.” As far back as I can remember—much further back than one should have such memories—I’ve felt perpetually stressed out. As a young child I stressed about my clothes, my friendships, my grades. The stressors shifted as I got older, but they’ve always been there,… Continue Reading
As a mom to a small child, I spend a lot of time answering WHY? Why did you have me wear this shirt today? Why do I have to play by myself right now? Why are owls nocturnal? Many of these questions are easy to answer, others have no real answer, and a surprising number of them are… Continue Reading