What’s your first reaction when the unexpected comes your way? Some of us grip tight to an illusion of control, only to lose patience and sleep as we anxiously deal with the challenges. Others escape to what’s comfortable, avoiding reality at all costs. Many of us cower in fear and shame, silently blaming ourselves for […]

I sat on the edge of my bed with my phone to my ear. For the past six weeks, my husband functioned as a single parent while I laid in bed, suffocated by morning sickness.  My doctor called regularly. She was glad to hear I was finally starting to feel normal again and asked about […]

After the holidays are over, it’s temptingly easy for me to slide into a post-celebration slump. The skies where we live are perpetually gray, the ground is frozen solid, and the buzz and glimmer of celebrating the holidays with family and friends have come to a grinding halt. The thrill of the new year has […]

Do you ever find yourself saying the same types of things whenever you pray to God? Do you avoid prayer because it feels boring? Or do you struggle for words when praying? When we pray the same things over and over, our prayers can become words we say but don’t really think about. In fact, […]

The bedroom doors of our farmhouse were fitted with vintage metal locks. Although they looked charming, they were a nuisance because you could lock and unlock the door from the inside of each room, but the only way to unlock the door from the outside was to put your hip into it. I mean really […]

I’m surprised that at age thirty-six, I can still remember my college-entry essay from age seventeen. Because I was totally overwhelmed by the concept of choosing a person in history I’d like to meet, I chose to write my college-entry essay on “The Life of the Mind.” I remember writing something about how I would […]

[Editor’s Note: Today’s article is an excerpt adapted from this year’s Advent study, Fulfilled. We pray that as you reflect on Jesus as the fulfillment of all God’s plans and promises and the satisfier of the deepest longings of your soul, your heart would be stirred to worship him.] I’ve always found the wise men […]

[Editor’s Note: Today’s article is an excerpt from this year’s Advent study, Fulfilled. We pray that as you reflect on Jesus’ role as our perfect Priest come to sacrifice his very life to buy our salvation, your heart would be stirred to worship him.] Looking for Confidence in Ourselves On my kindergarten review, my teacher […]

[Editor’s Note: Today’s article is an excerpt from this year’s Advent study, Fulfilled. We pray that as you reflect on Jesus’ role as our perfect Prophet come to reveal himself as the source of true rest, your heart would be stirred to worship him.] Finding Rest I want this season to be a time of […]

[Editor’s Note: Today’s article is an excerpt from this year’s Advent study, Fulfilled. We pray that as you reflect on Jesus’ role as our perfect servant King come to rule with wisdom and justice, your heart would be stirred to worship him.] I’m Not Your Servant I’m not your servant. Most of us have let […]