I ran a 5k last weekend. When I crossed the finish line I didn’t know my time or my average pace or where I placed overall or in my age/gender group. Honestly, those numbers didn’t matter much because I’d won a bigger prize. That’s the story I want to share with you today. At the…
A Beautiful Life
The best thing that happened to me this month was that my Facebook account was hacked. And apparently, the hacker posted something that didn’t meet “Facebook’s community standards” so I’m locked out of Facebook and Instagram. My initial reaction was anger and frustration. Why use your talent in such a useless way? What a waste!…
What I’ve Learned Through a Season of Boredom
Sometimes I feel bored and restless. Do you ever feel that way? I’ve shocked myself by saying, “I’m bored,” out loud a few times lately. I don’t like the feeling and I certainly don’t like saying it out loud. If you’ve ever felt bored and restless then maybe what I’m going to share will help…
When You’re Overwhelmed, Over-Committed, and Distracted
As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus…
When Life Doesn’t Look Like You Thought It Would
I am learning to be with what is. That sounds like an incomplete sentence, doesn’t it? But I am learning to be—to be content—with what feels like an incomplete day and an incomplete life. Life in this season is not exactly how I had it pictured but if you were to ask me how I…
Confessions of a Rebel
Hi there, lovely friends! I’ve decided to add a new tab to my blog’s menu called “Confessions”. These sort of semi-weekly posts will be the place I disclose, acknowledge, admit areas where I’m currently struggling and/or what I’m learning. It’s a place to ramble with my words without necessarily forming a tidy conclusion. Some posts…
The Day My Quiet Time Died
Hello, lovely friends. Today I want to share with you a wonderful book I’ve been reading. I’m not done with it yet as it is one of those books that requires time and attention to read slowly and digest. If the amount of underlining and notes scribbled in the margins with exclamations and question marks…
When the World Feels Heavy
I slip the old faded army fatigue jacket over my short sleeves and check the pocket for cherry Chapstick. Winter in the South is mild this time of year but cold enough to make me shiver as I walk past the oak tree at the front corner of the house. I pick up the pace…
The One Goal I Make Every Year
Lose weight and get in shape. Does that sound familiar? I’ve set that goal every year for over a decade and I’m not apologizing for it even if I never fully reach the goal I’ve set. I never want to give in and give up on taking better care of myself. But that’s not the…
Waking Up Tired
It’s Sunday morning and I’m tired. I have a headache and my toothache reminds me of the major dental work happening in the morning. “Maybe I should just stay home and rest,” I say to myself. I lay still and quiet and watch the early morning sun dance on the walls around the room. “What…
4 Ways to Ruin Your Life
“Read and read again, and do not despair of help to understand the will and mind of God though you think they are fast locked up from you. Neither trouble your heads though you have not commentaries and exposition. Pray and read; read and pray. For a little from God is better than a great…
Somewhere Beautiful
FAITH “I just wanted to remind you not to give up. I know you’re tired and life feels like a slog, but your faithfulness to carry on is leading somewhere beautiful. The things that matter most take time and perseverance. What you are working on now isn’t the point, but how God is pointing you…
A Year From Now
A year from now what will you wish you had done today? A few years back I found myself in a bit of a funk. (I always cringe a little when I say or write that “f” word. I’m pretty sure my grandmother would’ve considered it a cuss word.) But I can’t think…
The Rest of God: Favorite Quotes
A few months ago, before the world got weird—okay, weird-er—I stumbled upon a book that wound up being the perfect read in this season. I’m halfway in and decided to share some of my favorite chapter highlights/quotes and a few of my favorite photos from the past few months. The book is The Rest of God:…
When Spring Is Lovelier Than Ever
Is the grass always so green? Is the sky always so blue? Are the birds singing more than usual? Does the wind always blow through the trees so softly? These are the questions I ask myself every Spring and the answers are always the same. Oh yes! The grass is greener, the sky is bluer,…
10 Things You Can Control
Sometimes I feel frustrated and overwhelmed because I try to control things that aren’t mine to control. Maybe you do, too? I think it’s helpful to remember that many things are not within our power to control or within our sphere of influence to be controlled. We want them to be and we’ve even convinced…
2020 Vision: My Word for the Year
DECLUTTER! That’s my #wordfortheyear I’m on a mission to declutter my home and my life. I love these two quotes! Most of us who are weighed down by mental clutter—the to-do lists and calendar activities cataloged in our brain—find a shocking amount a relief when we cut back on our physical clutter. If your environment is…
Ordinary Day: 11.20.19
“This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not…
Celebrating a Champion
I was born in the sixties, a child in the seventies, and survived as a teenager in the eighties. I had big hair and big ideas about conquering the world. I dated in high school but had no intention of getting married any time soon. Actually, I had it all planned. I Don’t Need A…
How Do You Measure Your Life?
There are lots of ways to measure life. I’ve recently discovered a new and painful way. I sensed I was measuring it wrong, though not immediately. To learn the lesson I had to sit with the pain first. A New Family Command Center Google “family command center” and in 0.6 seconds you’ll get 454 million…