If you start a book club and if you meet once a month, every month for almost three years, and if you have a book society retreat in the nearby city for a long weekend in January of 2023 and again in March of 2024, then you might find your book clerisy in February of […]
Souldeep Symphony: Soulsafe Space
“Most people’s souls are buried beneath mounds of activity, excuses, comforts, noise, addictions, laughter, small talk, romance, therapy, and entertainment. We are like passengers on a subway, moving quickly from one obligation, relationship, or activity to another, seldom stopping to wonder who and where we really are. Sometimes it seems like the church is trying […]
Helpful, Hopeful, Beautiful
My criteria for who and what and where I spend my time online and on social media has always held certain parameters. I named it more specifically in this way. What I’m following must be helpful, hopeful, or beautiful. We become consumed by what we consume. Every so often I reassess. What once was helpful […]
Keep At It
To all the creators and dreamers and makers and vulnerable people showing up to share their work, words, music. {and this is all of us, anyone breathing, because we all create in some way, all made to produce art of a myriad of types by our Creator} • A Word For You • Keep at […]
The Loneliness of Silence
“God invites us to turn to each other as ones in whom Christ dwells as living homes of God to confess His goodness until we begin to believe it.” ~ Emily P. Freeman I’d loved lifting the blind each morning and taking a peek at the new sunrise breaking across the dawn of sky,What had […]
Wherein I Contemplate Choosing to Listen to The Voice of Truth
Once upon a time, which is another way of saying, probably ten or twelve years ago, there was a little brother and his big sister. As it happens, this little boy and little bit bigger girl belonged to me. And as the history of our story goes, we had a new music CD that my […]
Wherein I Remind Myself of the Power of Living With Intention
Use words to speak kindness, energy to offer hope, compassion to ease suffering, impact for peace versus inciting fear. Offer a helping hand or answer a question. Cause people to feel seen. Note the worth of each person created in Christ’s image. Show up and be kind. Be steadfast. Persevere. It is hard intentional work […]
August Musings
1. ANTICIPATE Hello comrade friends! This summer has found me quite stuck on an icy, delicious SunJoy from Chick-Fil-A and I’ve anticipated every chance I was near enough to get one. I’ve always loved Lemonade, but not sure when I became such an Arnold Palmer fan, or in Chick-Fil-A’s case, SunJoy. I love the name […]
July Musings
1. ANTICIPATE I was excited to see news about Annie F. Downs children’s picture book, What Sounds Fun To You? It releases in October and is available for pre-order. Emily Lex’s children’s book, Twirl, is coming in October too! Emily’s artwork is precious. She has pre-order bonuses right here. And one more for upcoming books, […]
June Musings
Seek Beauty Everyday.Savor. Hold Hope’s Hand.Hard. Every Day Grateful.Deeply. Listen and Learn.Pause. Carry kindness closely.Scatter. Whisper prayers steadfastly.Receiving. Smile. Laugh. Dream.Repeat. Some of the days, I remember to live out my ideals, live out the difference-makers, live out the power and peace of positivity. Other days, WELL, not so much. EVERY GOOD DAY, despite the […]
May Musings
Let’s chat about beauty and gratitude and all the places and books where we’re finding hope and encouragement and anticipation these days of May! I’ll go first. 🙂 1. ANTICIPATE At this very moment, as write these words, I’m anticipating my parents coming to visit and a graduation celebration for Tucker. We’re in the throes […]
April Musings
Weatherwise, April has been warm and chilly, windy and still, lovely and not-so-charming. Spring teases. I pull out sandals and expect to wear them from now forward to autumn. But spring has a fickle side and chuckles fiendishly with a forecast of blustery with a chance of rain/snow. I am not so favorably inclined. But […]
Joyful, Patient, Faithful Devotional for Mamas
Such a delight! I’m absolutely fantabulously pleased to bring you this devotional today, from my friend Jenifer Metzger. Joyful, Patient, Faithful: A 90-Day Devotional for Mom For several years, I’ve collaborated with Jenifer for the Christmas Blessing Giveaway and Summer Blessing Giveaways, if you’ve entered those. Jenifer shares book and Bible giveaways on her blog […]
Listen + Light
As I ponder and praise Jesus’ coming as a baby, the coming of Christmas this year, and His return at the end of the age, here are a few ways, words, melodies, and moments lighting my life with hope and peace and gratefulness and reflection during December and Advent. 1. Lighting a candle on my kitchen island […]
When Hope Is Long In Coming
There’s a beautiful batch of snowflakes filtering down outside my window this afternoon. They make me unabashedly happy. Big, glorious flakes of snow aren’t entirely common for my part of Kansas. It’s a bit like living in a snowglobe. The snow spells out Christmas, Advent, and cozy all swirled together. As I’m contemplating hope during […]
The Beauty of Little Acts of Kindness Matters
Last week, in the middle of a few busy days, my son slid the mail pile onto my kitchen island. It’d been bumping around in the farm pickup. My farmer man had plucked it all out of the mailbox right after lunch. Now, late afternoon found me flipping through it. Smack in the middle was […]
In Which I Muse About Assurance
Assurance could look like a signed contract. It might be in the number of place value holders stamped on our bank statement. Assurance may feel like meal plans or lesson plans, vacation plans or run-away-from-Nineveh-plans. Assurance sometimes disdainfully and smugly plants itself in the territory of how-right-I-am. Perhaps assurance comes in the form of a […]