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inexpressible and glorious
Is it just me, or does it seem to be taking greater “fortitude” than ever just to make it through one day and into the next? Put simply, fortitude is “courage in pain or adversity." I’ve never considered myself to be especially courageous, nor do my life circumstances involve a constant barrage of catastrophes. Yet when life manifests as a daily battle, making a firm decision to hold onto hope can be an act of considerable bravery.
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do not be surprised
Beloved, we are walking through a time in history that is rife with fear, confusion, division, and hostility. When we wake each morning, the uncertainty of what kind of world will greet us messes with our equilibrium. The weight of dealing with this imbalance day after day wears down our resolve. The unrest in our government, workplaces, social circles, and even in the last place we’d think to find it—our churches—is exacerbated by our seeming powerlessness, and we are tempted toward despair. Far from seeing the beauty in the mystery, it can feel dark and distressing. We long for those days in which we could take a free breath, unhindered…
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Meet Lindsey
Hi, I’m Lindsey! I am a beloved daughter, sister, student, teacher, and friend. I am also a writer, dreamer, and creative, a lover of beauty and Truth. My heart has belonged to Jesus since I was small, and He has been renewing it by His Spirit ever since. Besides reading and coffee dates with dear friends, (make mine tea!), my passion is expressing LIFE through the written word. On a typical day during the school year, you’ll find me teaching 2nd graders to support my writing habit and sharing my love for words with the next generation. LWM: Tell us about yourself as a creative As long as I can…
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battle cry
As I write, war rages throughout our nation. Few, if any, would dispute the reality of the unrest, though there is both passive and vehement disagreement on nearly everything else. Who is the enemy? What is at stake? What is our strategy? How do we engage? Are we battling disease? Racism? The Establishment? Is this about an election cycle? A people group? Individuals? Are the core issues political? Social? Spiritual? And, at a personal level, where do I fit within the bigger picture? What do I believe, where do I stand, and what price am I willing to pay? Always of a reflective nature, I find myself sifting through countless…
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the fellowship of suffering
What if life is not about trying to be better? What if what matters is becoming present in the midst of it? I’m mulling over the introductory chapters of my preordered copy of K.J. Ramsey’s new book, This Too Shall Last. It is a raw account of learning to sit with pain and suffering so that grace has room to well up in our weakness and speak louder than our shame. It is a message that has arrived in my life at the odd juxtaposition of facing the pain of perfectionism, the shame of singleness, and the inescapable reality of my identity as a writer. In this book, K.J. weaves…
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imperfect
Perfectionism … fair warning, friends, I’m going to rip this thing wide open. I’m guessing you might be cringing right now, because you’re right in there with me. God, how many women have become entangled by the enemy’s lies on this subject? And oh, how You want us to be free! So let me pick up where I left off: perfectionism is hell. I don’t use either word lightly. Perfectionism has been camouflaged as pretty, dismissed with nervous laughter, excused as a personality trait, even lauded as a strength. It is none of the above. It is a trap, a torment, and the worst kind of betrayal, for it allures…
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of truth and fairytales
I am caught up in a fairytale, somewhere near the middle. The beloved is confined to her chamber, making her preparations and counting the hours, for she knows her promised Bridegroom will come. Terrors lurk on every side, hardship and pain beset her from within, but the bride-to-be is undaunted. Her beloved one has pledged His love, and she is confident He will make good on His word. It’s somehow easier for me to process this strange reality we’ve fallen into if I view it through the lens of an epic misadventure. Case in point: I am not just nondescript little me, sitting alone day after day, scrambling to teach…
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hushed and holy
Were there any on that day, young or old or in-between, who remembered the words Jesus had spoken in preparation for His death and resurrection? Any who looked back on His promises with hope and faith, even while His broken body lay still and silent in the borrowed tomb? Nearly all of His most faithful had forgotten. They huddled frightened in upper rooms, grieving shattered dreams, empty hopes, and the loss of their beloved Teacher. In their minds, the startling end of an era had come, just as they had been expecting to usher in His brand new world. Where did we go wrong? a few must have asked. What did we miss? Oh,…
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four cups
I’ve been pondering four cups: the four cups of Passover, held in the hands of Jesus … In Christian tradition, we’ve been concerned mainly with one: the cup we know from the Last Supper, which some call “holy communion.” For generations, though, Jesus’ Jewish brethren have been drinking four cups holding the fruit of the vine. And on the night in which He was betrayed, when our Lord Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples, He, too, drank four cups. the cup of salvation The first of these is the cup of salvation. It calls to mind the hand of God, reaching down to lift from His people the burden…
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spotless
Huddled in their homes, seeking shelter from the chaos that threatened to tear their world apart, families waited anxiously for word that all was well outside. There had been murmurings of a Redeemer who had come to set them free, but the idea seemed ludicrous, especially in light of present circumstances. For just as rampant were the rumors that Death stalked any who ventured beyond their front doors … nothing new under the sun Conditions surrounding the first Passover were not all that different from today, in some ways. Let’s slip on their worn sandals for a moment, and see what the plight of these ancient Hebrews might have to…
