There are some seasons of life when deep, regular Bible study isn’t feasible. Now, as someone who believes that studying Scripture is vital to our growth in Christ, even writing that statement feels awkward to me. Ten or fifteen years ago, I wouldn’t have believed it, But the deeper I go into my forties, and…
spiritual growth
God’s Word is Good For You
I spent most of my twenties not reading the Bible. I was a Christian, I believed in Jesus, and I was even a pastor’s wife for the second half of that decade, but I did not have any regular habits of Bible reading. Like many churched folks, I knew that I should read and study…
Make Me a Tree
The tulip trees in my backyard need to be trimmed. There’s a branch growing against our detached carport, and it’s pushing the shingles off the roof. I have measured my life in the blooms on those trees—nineteen years in this house and nineteen turns of the calendar. Nineteen springs, summers, falls, and winters charting the…
Why Am I So Spiritually Dry?
The leaf crunched under my foot with a satisfying crispy sound. The gray sky was heavy with clouds that looked ready to unload their contents on the dry, autumn day. I opened the Spotify app on my phone and selected a piano and cello playlist as an ambient backdrop to my “thinking walk.” Slipping my…
We Need Every Word
I talk to myself in the grocery store. It’s not a conscious habit, but it dawns on me occasionally that I’m mumbling when other shoppers give me strange looks or smirk a little as I pass by. But I can’t help it. When I’m shopping for groceries, my mind is focused on my list, my…
Bend Me Toward the Light
Every Thursday, I water my indoor plants. I’ve got a fiddle-leaf fig tree (a plant well known for its finicky nature and a proclivity to simply die without warning) standing tall and proud by a window with southern exposure. I’ve noticed, though, that this little tree bends itself dramatically toward the window even though it’s…
The Fruit of Discipleship
When I was growing up, my mom kept a large bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter. Every week when she did her grocery shopping, she bought apples, oranges, and bananas to refill the bowl. I remember her polishing each apple individually to make them look appealing. There were no rules around snacking when it…
You Can’t Measure the Most Important Things
I bought a watch last year to measure my steps and heartrate. I’m a generally a little resistant to trends and therefore usually late to them, but I felt like measuring my physical exertion would result in more of it, thus I bought a watch. Even so, I refused to spend more than $25 on…
Losing Youth, Gaining Growth
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…