I remember the time when grace first revealed itself to me. Not fully, but I saw a little corner of the truth. I was spending the summer of 2009 scanning old training records at a nuclear power plant near my hometown. Drawer by drawer, we slowly emptied the old records storage building. When we finished … Continue reading Grace is Greater
Any quilters out there? My hand is raised by virtue of having made one epic queen-sized quilt.If enthusiasm and optimism could make up for skill, I would be set, but alas, I tend to struggle through most of my overly ambitious projects. So, of course, I dove headfirst into a HUGE quilting project on a … Continue reading Pattern of Freedom
I am part hippie. Maybe more hippie than not, really. And I like an alternative, all-natural personal grooming product. Lately, I've been experimenting with crystal deodorant. I've been off antiperspirant for at least a decade, so this was the next logical step. Hippie logic, that is. So in the mornings, I gently moisten the smooth, … Continue reading The Smell of Fear
As I prepared for this week's topic on passion, I wrote a LOT-- this is an especially hard topic for me. Hard to understand what approach to take. Hard to write about something that's supposed to be personal but that I don't have a personal answer for. Hard to not be negative. Passion. It's defined … Continue reading For a High View of Passion
This week, we're writing 500 words about a time God showed up. That seems like such a strange topic in a way: I'm sure God has shown up more times than I can even count when I wasn't aware of him doing anything. He's moving all the time in ways we don't see or comprehend, … Continue reading Dispatch from the Reorg
It took me a long time to decide how to approach the topic of perseverance. It's kind of a soapbox issue for me. I have so much experience proving its worth that it's hard to know where to start the discussion. But recently, God reminded me of what seemed at the time an insignificant detail, … Continue reading Persevere Like Your Life Depends On It
My first time "hearing" God's voice was at the end of an embarrasing period in my life. If you ever doubt that you can hear God's voice in the midst of sin, fear not! He says He is close to the broken-hearted, and that's usually where sin leaves you sooner or later. I'd had a … Continue reading My First Big Breakup
The deepest thirst in my soul is for relationship. To know and be known. I love to uncover the truth and beauty and perplexing contradiction in others and to see the same in myself. This pastime has kept me up deep into the night, kept me standing out in the cold and the rain, brought … Continue reading Hey, Girlfriend!
I have to tell you about Black Cat, my friend Taylor's cat. A couple of years ago, she adopted a tiny, homeless black kitten. Bless his heart, he was afraid of everything! She does like cats, but he was more of a charity case than she counted on. He lived mostly out of sight, moving … Continue reading Black Cat
My relationship with God has been quiet lately. The highs and lows, the ebb and flow of the emotional tide that ruled my inner world for so long that I didn't remember a time without it, has resolved itself into more of a broad river. I don't want to be super-spiritual about this: it's probably … Continue reading Dwelling
