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go back
The sight of a vast mountain range marching off into the distance has the power to stir my soul like nothing else. At key points in my life, God has planted this little MidWestern girl within view of such grandeur, fortifying me with a tangible reminder to keep looking up! The three years I spent in grad school in Colorado provided just such a reminder. The campus led down to the river, boasting a riverwalk that stretched for miles within sight of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Driving back to my apartment from weekly trips to the grocery store, I relished the curve in the road that restored the…
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reaching for Eden
Headlines scream the unthinkable; trauma and terror splash across the canvas of our otherwise routine lives. We are left gasping at the shock of it all. Perhaps the latest disaster struck some other community this time, but imagination stirs our empathy, bringing it uncomfortably close to home. Barely a day escapes without some grim reminder of the world’s brokenness. Each new tragedy chips away at our peace, tempting us to give way to despair. Surely even the most faith-filled among us has lifted up that agonizing cry: It isn’t supposed to be like this! That’s true, you know. This isn’t how things were meant to be; our hearts were not…
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doorway to hope
Crossing the threshold of the dining room, an oversized wall clock caught my attention. Its hands had been removed, indicating a suspension of time in this place dedicated to hosting memorable moments. God had brought me here to celebrate life—of that, I felt convinced. Yet, I couldn’t drown out the ominous ticking that sounded in my mind, counting down toward the expiration of my hopes. I’d prayed God would write a love story with my life: this didn’t seem to be it. Still, I clung to the truth of His faithfulness, determined to believe He hadn’t forgotten me.
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raw joy
Sometimes, joy doesn’t look like rejoicing. It may feel startling, or undesirable; its rough edges may scrape our fragile skin as we brush up against it. But when we begin to recognize joy in the raw places of our grief and disillusionment, we are convinced anew that God is good, that faith is real. When we see that there is hope ahead, that we haven't been abandoned in the midst of an unfinished story, this is our joy. So hang onto this truth, Beloved, when the winds blow untamed and the path twists in front of you. Yes, there may be suffering and pain where the road bends, but the…
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redeemed into Life
While I wish I could remember the sight of the exotic blooms that surely filled the greenhouse, or summon the warmth of the humid air that must’ve beaded droplets on the glass, all I really remember is the eternity I spent locked inside the metal and cement of a bathroom stall, sick to my stomach and aching for home.
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seeking renewal; pursuing peace
As a new year begins, I want to make it a practice to fill my mind and heart with all the things I have “learned and received and heard and seen” through the Word of God ... For we have been promised that if we “practice these things … the God of peace will be with [us].” Peace is such a rare and precious gift these days, as is knowing His constant presence. What a blessing, to step into this reality! And beyond that, to understand that we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds ...
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rejoice
“And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior ... No clearer insight exists into the brave and beautiful heart of Mary than this powerful New Testament psalm. As she is first acknowledged by another to be carrying the seed of God, these words pour from her mouth out of an overflowing heart. Their source is neither pride nor fear, but a humble acknowledgment of her own lowliness and a joyful exaltation of the Lord.
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blessed is she who believes
What was it, exactly, that Mary believed? Her actions here confirm her belief in God as Promise-Maker, Promise-Keeper. She believed that He is both willing and able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (see Ephesians 3:20). And she believed that He is the Giver of all good gifts and the rewarder of those who seek Him (James 1:17; Hebrews 11:6).
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let every heart prepare Him room
We have lately been swept up into a tangled net of deception, cunningly set to strip us of hope and submerge us in confusion, isolation, and discouragement. The calendar broadcasts a season of Light, and we dutifully veil our inner darkness with a veneer of celebration. Fully aware that we are lying to ourselves, we seek to keep at bay the One who sees us. Foolish? Or simply desperate? Likely both … Is there a way out?
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the sweet release of gratitude
I almost didn’t stop today. At the end of a long school day, the only thing I feel like doing is trading my work clothes for something cozy and collapsing in a heap on my couch. Sure, a walk in the crisp autumn sunshine would be good for me, but I was feeling grouchy and stubborn, and I just wanted to go home. But when traffic clogged at the entrance to my apartment complex, I gave in to the inner urging and turned right instead of left ... in spite of my initial reluctance, I knew I would relish this sunny afternoon outdoors.
