The first time I picked up a scalpel, I was fourteen years old and standing over some poor dead creature in the biology lab at my high school. It was a frog, I think. I had quite the enthusiastic anatomy and physiology teacher. We moved from frogs to sharks, then squid and cats. (Yes, cats.) […]
I learned to knit about ten years ago. I watched dozens of YouTube videos to master the basics of casting on, perfecting the basic garter stitch, purling, casting off, and binding off. I’ve never stepped much outside of basic patterns, and I’ve never knitted anything that wasn’t a square or rectangle. Though I’m a very […]
Ours is an “I love you” family. We tack on the phrase to our sentences like punctuation. “I’ve got to run to the store. I love you!” “I’m heading to bed. Love you.” “Be careful driving. I love you.” I didn’t know this wasn’t a universal practice until I was in middle school and realized […]
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 […]
Author’s note: Since penning this article six years ago, I’ve put everything I know about Scripture memorization into my book, Memorizing Scripture: The Basics, Blessings, and Benefits of Meditating on God’s Word, which was published by Moody Publishers in 2023. This book gives you all the most helpful tips and tricks I’ve found to train […]
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 […]
