Blog
Blog
Grief Is a Kitten
The healthiest, most wholehearted people I know are the ones who have suffered, who have lost, who have wrestled, who have pushed back up to the surface. I thought that ...
Present Over Perfect: On Disappointing People
Some people are very uncomfortable with the idea of disappointing anyone.They think that if you are kind, you’ll never disappoint anyone. They think that if you try hard enough, if ...
Present Over Perfect: Sitting With Jesus
As I arrive nearer and nearer to the heart of things — at least as close as I’m able to get right now — what lies at the center are ...
Relationships: What We Ate and Why It Matters
During this last season, one thing I remember more clearly than anything else is what we ate. The undercurrent of our life was dark and ragged, but my senses remember ...
Summer Anxiety: Embrace the Bathing Suit
Laying Down My AnxietyTherefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life ...
Take This Bread
I haven’t baked bread since college, when I went through a brief but intense baguette phase, baking pan after pan of slim loaves, wrapping them in dish towels while they ...
Rejoice: Come Dance With Me
Be glad and rejoice with me. – Philippians 2:18The discipline of celebration is changing my life, and I invite you into the same practice. Come tap dance with me on ...
Communion: Awareness of Holiness
And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. — Luke ...
The Advent Alternative
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel” ...
Present: How Not to Miss the Loveliness of Christmas
He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. — Psalm 23:2-3During Christmastime we find ourselves tempted to abandon Christlikeness in ...
Practicing True Thanksgiving
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18On a snowy night we hosted house church, ...
Pain: We Can Do This Together
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens . . . a time to tear and a time to mend. — Ecclesiastes 3:1, ...
The Affects of Venomous Anger
VenomAs churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife. — Proverbs 30:33Earlier this year, a friend of mine made me really ...
God Gives Lessons Over and Over: Learn the First Time
Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance. — Proverbs 1:5In my first job out of college, one of the people I worked ...
Desperation, Cold Pizza, and Fasting
Aaron, Henry, and I came back to our house in Grand Rapids at the end of August. Sometime during the summer, in a process so gradual it could almost be ...
Free Resources
The Women of the Bible Speak Online Bible Study
Discover how four women mentioned in Jesus' family tree--Tamar, Rehab, Ruth, & Mary-- changed the course of history in this special Advent study through The Women of the Bible Speak Workbook, based on the best-selling book by Shannon Bream! Sign up now to claim your spot and get a free bundle of Advent resources just for signing up! Study starts 11/28!