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 […]
Jesus Alone Is Life
The morning has whispered around the house in quiet, peaceful, gray tones with a dash of hush and spring fog. Birds chirp enthusiasm about this new day and the notes drift in the open windows. Inside, my daughter and I warble a few lines of Boz’s song.“Open your eyes to God’s surprise,Wake up! Get up!It’s […]
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 […]
ESV Ruth Chou Simons Artist Series Journaling Bible From Crossway
UPDATE: Giveaway closed, but come browse and take a peek at this lovely Bible. Look what we have today! It’s a Bible giveaway.I’ve been privileged to offer several Bible giveaways over the last four years and I’m always delighted for the opportunity. I so enjoy photographing each Bible. This Bible is new at Crossway in […]
His Name Is Holy
Luke 1:46-50 ~ “And Mary said:My soul praises the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, because He has looked with favor on the humble condition of His servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and […]
Hope Infused Music
Three of my favorite musicians/groups: Andrew PetersonCasting CrownsMercy Me Here’s the commonality they share ~ They sing real. They speak authentic words. They talk about worry and struggles and fears. They tell of doubt, even despair. They acknowledge life, and how it hurts and happens and hurls hard things at our heads. Then they press […]
Of Children and Cookies and Such
As I walked through our snow-powdered woods the other day, I began to muse about a few of my favorites and create a mental list in my head. I’d baked cookies and was thinking of books. Children’s books, in particular. I had to chuckle as I noticed a connecting thread running through it all. Here’s […]
Hope Come to Us
Seeking God. Sitting with Him. Considering the Word made flesh. Wrapped right up in baby form. Hope come to us. Innocent. Needy. Vulnerable. Helpless. Completely reliant on a mother and a father for feedings and changings and bundling and snuggling and singing over. He who sings over us, cooed up at his mama as she […]
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 […]
The Hope of Further Up! Further In!
We awoke to the most gorgeous blanket of snow we’ve seen on our Kansas plains in a long while. Cedar branches powdered, porch posts piled, and my round outside table blanketed. I gazed in awestruck admiration out my front window. Venturing to the basement door, I flung it open for a few frosty pictures. Retreating […]
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 […]
Hope Everlasting
A tear trickled down her cheek, past her nose, leaving a wet streak from tear duct to chin. The heaviness had been hovering, edging nearer until it draped around her like a dark suffocating blanket. Loneliness mocked and voices of inadequacy sniveled in derisive, biting anger. She shivered despite the stifling weight flung around her […]
Holy Land Illustrated Bible
I’m a homebody much, much, much of the time. I deeply love and appreciate cozy home. Thus, I’m not a world traveler nor have ever aspired to become one. Still, I do have a list of places I’d love to visit and Israel is one of them. On this note, I’m happy to announce……….. ToDaY, […]
Beautiful Word Coloring Bible For Girls
As the calendar counts off the days in November, I’ve been counting gratefulness AND I’ve been anticipating Christmas. As I anticipate, I’ve been contemplating the HOPE Christmastime represents. If I were asked to describe the season in one word, that would be the word right now. Christmas embodies hope.Christmas gives the best gift by offering […]