Blog 3

24 Aug

Posted at 18:20h in Devotionals, Seasons, Summer

“Every Summer Has A Story”  I saw those words printed beneath a beach painting: a woman sitting in the sand, gazing into the distance, lost in thoughts we’ll never know. The words stayed with me for days. Every season, every month, even every day carries its own story. Most days, I record a small bit of mine in my journal so I can look back and remember God’s threads of grace through it all. Summer is my season. My favorite. The one I anticipate all year: beach days, the 4th of July, warm nights outside, stacks of books, outdoor concerts, pool time, and getaways. But this year, this story of mine has been one of melancholy. Maybe you can relate. The heaviness settled in before summer began, when a diagnosis of a family member sent me on a stressful path of decisions and a constant search for wisdom. It is a daily trial of unknowns...

23 Jul

Posted at 18:41h in 4 For You, Blog Series, Books, Can We Talk About?, Favorites, Newsletter, Summer

Summer greetings! In this favorite season of mine, here's what I'm loving lately. Books: Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. This amazing best-selling book is a hit in culture and in my book club. A perfect book for our times. Our group loved Theo and learned much from him.  https://amzn.to/4pFZQOU  Mostly What God Does by Savannah Guthrie. A delightful book of heartfelt essays that spoke to my soul. https://amzn.to/4ftC9o2 Products: Well done Downy Wrinkle Release! Our lodgings did not have an iron, and our wedding clothes were wrinkled from our suitcase. This stuff was all we had, and it did the trick. https://amzn.to/4pAMbsk Our family is crazy about these glass mugs. They feel summery, sit perfectly in your hands, and the coffee and tea stay hot longer than ceramic mugs. They make a great gift. https://amzn.to/3RuMf07 Link: Window Swap is an online platform that lets you “open a new window” anywhere in the world. Video clips of...

25 May

Posted at 17:49h in Devotionals

The first time I accidentally flipped my phone to selfie mode, I screamed. A tired middle‑aged woman had broken into my house and stolen my phone. Looking at myself from that perspective was and is brutal: all the flaws, wrinkles, and scars magnified. There is no hiding. We often hear therapy-speak about people needing to be truly seen. Close selfie mode is not the answer. Yet our world is louder than ever in its hunger to be noticed. Celebrity and influencer culture has soaked into nearly every corner of our lives. And here’s the thing we all know but need reminding: being seen is not the same as being known. Nor is it the same as being valued. There is a woman in scripture who knows something about being seen. In Genesis 16:13-16, after fleeing Abram’s household, Hagar found herself in the wilderness: tired, mistreated, overwhelmed, and terribly alone. Not exactly her Instagram...

29 Mar

Posted at 20:42h in Devotionals, Easter, Grace, Lent

Holy Week arrives with an invitation: to slow down, breathe deeply, observe its sacredness, and remember the grace of a Savior who changed everything. Grace isn’t just God’s benevolence; it’s His movement toward us. His willingness to step into our world, our mess, our humanity. And during Holy Week, grace takes center stage. Jesus showed us grace that kneels by washing feet. He loved His own who were in the world by loving them to the end (see John 13:1). Our Lord exhibited mercy to His abusers, captors, and betrayers. A grace that forgives the unforgivable. He asked His father to forgive them because they didn’t know what they were doing (see Luke 23:24). On Good Friday, Christ’s horrific death reminds us that grace is costly. Because while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (see Romans 5:8). Easter morning shows us that grace breaks through in victory. The stone rolled away, the...

02 Mar

Posted at 17:18h in Grace, Lent, Prayer, Seasons, Surrender

  From the need of being praised, deliver me, Jesus. From the need of being honored, deliver me, Jesus. From the need of being preferred, deliver me, Jesus. From the need of being consulted, deliver me, Jesus. From the need of being approved, deliver me, Jesus. From the need of being right, deliver me, Jesus.  From the need of comfort and ease, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being criticized, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being passed over, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being lonely, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being hurt, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of suffering, deliver me, Jesus.   O Jesus, help me put my self-importance aside. O Jesus, make my heart like yours. O Jesus, strengthen me with your Spirit. O Jesus, teach me your ways.                ...

17 Feb

Posted at 21:27h in Devotionals, Easter, Grace, Hear the Savior Book, Lent, Purpose

Grace Upon Grace My word for 2026 is grace. It’s already just what I’ve needed in some complicated relational places in the first weeks of this new year: high doses of grace for others and extra for myself as my harshest critic. As Lent begins, I sense God inviting me to the deep well of His mercy. As a daily rhythm. A way of breathing. A way of being. A next-level kind of grace; one I will never truly comprehend until I see His face. The Lenten season isn’t about proving our devotion or performing spiritual gymnastics. It’s about making space. And in this spacious place, God meets us. Grace That Goes First Before we ever choose a Lenten intention, God has already chosen us. His mercy doesn’t wait for us to get our act together. It doesn’t demand perfection. It simply flows steadily with unearned abundance. Lent becomes a season not of striving,...

16 Jan

Posted at 00:20h in Can We Talk About?, Goals, New Year, Newsletter, Planning, Purpose, Seasons

For last year's words belong to last year's language. And next year's words await another voice. T.S. Eliot   Happy New Year! I believe we’re allowed the whole month of January to say it, don’t you? We may be later in the month, but we’re still early in the year. How are those resolutions coming along? I don’t tend to make grand, sweeping ones. I’m more of a small-goals, ongoing-projects, boxes-to-check kind of person. I love productivity and getting things done, sometimes a little too much. For the past few years, once the holiday haze has lifted, I’ve returned to two simple questions: What didn’t work for me last year? And What did work for me last year? I found them somewhere on the internet long ago and can’t credit their origin, but I can testify to their usefulness. They help me look back with honesty and move forward into a new year with purpose...

31 Dec

Posted at 03:36h in Blog Series, Books, Can We Talk About?, Favorites, New Year, Newsletter

Hello! It is that time again for my annual favorites roundup. I read 68 books this year, but let’s be honest—no one has time for a list that long, so I’ve narrowed it down to my top 14. This year’s reading adventures were (mostly) excellent, so let’s dive right in.   In the mood for a cozy mystery with unexpected depth? The Night in Question by Susan Fletcher is a poignant meditation on life’s seasons, the quiet secrets we carry, and murder. If nonfiction is your lane, here are my top two. The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory, by Thomas Fuller. Written by a journalist, it opened my eyes to the history and lived experience of the deaf community. For history lovers, The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon highlights twelve often-overlooked Americans who quietly shaped our nation from the Founding through the Civil Rights Movement....

11 Dec

Posted at 00:39h in Abide, Advent, Devotionals, Seasons

This Advent, the Lord keeps whispering the same gentle invitation He’s given me all year: stay near, hold fast. Abide. Nearly every day of 2025, I’ve written “abide” across the top of my journal as a quiet reminder to stay attached to Him. I wrote abiding-centered Scriptures into the front pages and even built a playlist to keep the theme humming in my heart. Choosing a new word for 2026 may be challenging, as I’ve grown devoted to this one. This daily reminder to cling to my Savior-Vine reminds me how I must depend on Him. Through distressing days and long months of 2025, He has not once let go. As I’ve held fast, something measured and beautiful has happened: little by little, my relationship with God has sunk into deeper places and grown a steadier, more seasoned trust. This simple practice of focusing on one word and a handful of verses...

22 Nov

Posted at 22:37h in Devotionals, Scripture, Thanksgiving, The Practice of Gratitiude

  “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”                                                       ~1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) This verse sounds cheerful enough, almost easy, but in real life, it can feel nearly impossible to follow. And here we are in November, the “Month of Gratitude,” scrolling through thankful posts and gathering around Thanksgiving tables. It is beautiful, all of it. And some years are easy to give thanks for: blessings stack high, prayers are answered quickly, and gratitude flows without effort. But then there are years like this one. Perhaps it left your heart tender and soul tired. You walked through valleys you didn’t choose and carried questions with seemingly no answers. And yet, even in years like this, God does not leave us without reminders...