It was nearly 8 o’clock–that part of the morning when you’re scrambling to find shoes and fill lunchboxes. My husband was pouring an extra cup of coffee before driving our third grader to school. “How was the gym this morning?” I asked him while I cleaned the baby from a breakfast he decided was beneath him. “It’s mid-March,”…
the people of God need the Word of God
A Woman Without a Country
I keep scrolling. News. Facebook. Twitter. I keep scrolling. Everything I read makes my stomach twist with discomfort. Hatred spewed from both “sides” of the political coin. Left? Right? Which side do I fall on? The lines have been drawn with so many overgeneralizing angles, I can’t quite find their beginnings. According to the vitriol…
Secure in His Love
Sometimes I want to believe lies. “Fake news” is tantalizing and volatile, emitting knee-jerk reactions from even the most diplomatic of observers. We react, we make plans, we form opinions and theories around what might be true. We hold on to those things even when the facts are shown to be false. We struggle to…
Let January be a catalyst for Bible study.
January 1st dawns cold and bright, heavy with the weight of restriction for many of us. We use the birth of a new year as an opportunity to scale back our indulgences, tighten up our budgets, and pledge our allegiance to structure and discipline after a season of feasting and unrestrained consumerism. Many Christians will…
the harbor we are longing for
What is it about Jesus that makes you love Him? Is it what He’s done for you? Or is it aspects of His character? Maybe a little bit of both? When you have felt the most drawn to Him, what was it that pulled you toward Him? One of the things that’s really drawing me…
I Don’t Promise My Kids That God Will Keep Them Safe.
I was five years old and tucked into a bed that was pushed up next to a quaking window. Outside, tree branches bent and swayed beneath slashing sheets of rain and house-shuddering winds. Tornado sirens were blaring while lightning lit up the sky every few seconds. I remember curling up into as small a figure…
my pockets are filled with poverty.
I’ve been thinking about her all day. She was hovering outside of my van before I could even get the door open, though I didn’t see her until I had one foot on the ground. “Can you help me get my medication?” The words came out in a rush, as if she’d been waiting for…
{Leaving the Room}
It’s nearly 7 a.m. when I close my Bible, put the notebook aside, drop the pen in the coffee mug that holds its mates on my desk. I could use fifteen more minutes, but my time is up. My kids are stirring across the hall, and the serenity of this pale blue room, dimly lit…
{I can’t read the Bible when the baby is crying.}
Maybe you’ve said these words before: “I can’t read the Bible when the baby is crying.” I know I have. When people tell me that their babies started sleeping through the night at six weeks old, I kind of want to punch them in the face. (The parents, not the babies.) If they tell me…
{Bible Study Methods + VLOG demo}
If you’ve ever treated your Bible like a Magic 8 Ball, raise your hand. Flip your Bible open at random, point to a verse, read it. Make some sort of connection to your life. Close Bible. Walk away. Let’s all agree this is NOT the way the Bible was meant to be read. No shame…