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Encouragement for every season of lifePrayer Walk
Spring is here, and with it comes warm weather and an excuse to get outdoors. I was recently reminded of an anecdote from my high school days. At the time, I lived 1.4 miles away from my school. Not too far, but far enough that a car was needed during Minnesota...
Empathy in Action
Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;” -Exodus 34:6 Compassion is a central characteristic used to describe God in heaven. Compassion is a...
Mistaken Identity
Lately, I’ve been contemplating our tendency to allow the labels we’ve accepted for ourselves to prescribe our behaviors. I’ve drawn conclusions about my own attributes just as we probably all have. I’ve taken many personality tests and investigated different...
Do It Afraid
This past weekend, my daughter had dance try-outs for the competition teams at the studio she attends. As I watched her get into line with 70 or so other little girls her age, all dressed in black leotards with their hair pulled tight into buns, then scurry into a...
Why Wouldn’t We Love Well?
“It’s just so amazing the way you can open yourselves up to their biological families.” This statement was said to me by a dear friend as we had dinner together one night and were discussing my adopted daughter’s birth family. How can you not? I think. I love these...
Repurpose, Recycle, Rejoice!
"What do you do with all that stuff?” I asked my dad. He’s lived on the same farm since the mid 60’s and has managed to acquire a few things. We walked through his shop, the barn, his storage shed, the garage, and the basement of the house—for starters. I was on the...
Already, But Not Yet
Last semester, one of my professors came to class with a meditation around the idea of “already, but not yet.” I’ve never found an adequate one-liner that sums up all of Christianity, but this phrase intrigued me. Because it’s about the struggle, the in-between. It...
Is This Heaven?
“Lord, why do these children have to live like this?” I prayed as I stood in the dorm room of an orphanage in Kenya. My husband and I recently returned from a mission trip to Nairobi where we ministered to children both in church settings and in orphanages. At one...
The Stories that Matter Most
Last night I came across a woman’s story. She was sharing about some struggles she’s currently facing and what she’s doing to find joy, even in the midst of walking through hardships. And for whatever reason, her words were like rain after a long drought I didn’t even...
Chasing Sirens
Last week, on my way to my hair appointment I drove up on the remains of three car pile-up. It was obvious that it was a serious accident. I began to say a prayer for those involved and for those whose lives would be touched dramatically by this event. I've been...
