Remember staying up late waiting for something you were anticipating? New Years. A season finale. Fireworks. A phone call. Meteorites. Christmas morning. Inevitably, your eyes grow weary. They become heavy, blink and long for rest. What keeps you pushing through? Confidence and expectation related to the expected event. This is the picture found in Psalm […]
Is Self-Care Beneficial? It Depends
Flourish: How the Love of Christ Frees Us from Self-focus by Lydia Brownback was on my list of summer reads. Now that it’s the end of summer (HOW did that happen?), I thought I’d share some thoughts from one chapter in particular. Self-care is a hot topic right now in mainstream media and in Christian […]
Abundance in Nature and in Life
Abundance is my One Word for One Year this year. As I wrote before, I didn’t choose this word for a particular reason. In fact, I had a different word picked out. But God quietly whispered this word to me in January, and I accepted. I’ve noticed abundance in ways I wouldn’t have without focusing […]
Anticipation in Life and with Jesus
The 4th of July rivals Christmas for the favorite holiday in our house. It’s been my husband’s favorite, hands down, for a long time. In fact, it’s how he remembers the date of our anniversary. In his words, “We got married the last day of the month when I get to blow things up!” As […]
The Irony of the Longest Day
Today marks the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. We had a glorious sunrise this morning. And we plan to watch the sun head down tonight as we catch fireflies. My son is ecstatic! In between, we’ll have adventures, and normal life, and unplanned for […]
The Welcome Familiarity of Treasure Rediscovered
Forgotten treasures are even more wonderful once rediscovered. Just ask my son! Rocks with unique colorings, favorite plants, special snacks, a well-worn book, pictures that evoke special memories. They all elicit sparkling eyes, a dancing smile, and gushing exclamations. I found these pictures on my phone. They’re of magnets on the refrigerator – memories that […]
Book Ideas for Summer
My love of books was confirmed today when I went to my digital Hoopla account (available through our library!) and noticed I have 146 books marked to read at some future date. Ha! To be fair, some of those are marked for my son, but … still. And that’s not counting my amazon lists or […]
The Heart of Easter: As Seen in Psalm 119
I’m spending the year in Psalm 119. (Read more here and find tips and reading plans to do the same over the course of 1 year or 6 months.) It’s been refreshing and nourishing and, at times, surprising. For example, it’s not the chapter I would typically turn to in order to contemplate Easter. Yet […]
Made to Enjoy God, the Creator
God doesn’t need me. Or you. Or anything, ever. But he does desire relationship with me. He wants to walk with me through life. He wants to speak truth that guides. He wants to listen to my heart and draw near to help. Being made to be in relationship with God is an outrageous idea. […]
Shaped Like Clay by God, the Creator
Have you ever watched a potter working with clay? It’s mesmerizing. And amazing. The clay gives to the slightest pressure. It molds and forms under the watchful eye and expert hands of the potter. This is the image the Bible gives of God (the potter) and us (the clay). But now, O Lord, you are […]