Tags Archives

in hope

When Obedience Looks Like a Big Transition

Ten years ago, if you’d asked me whether I could survive without my weekly trifecta of Target, Trader Joe’s, and Totally Pointless Shopping, I would have protested with a “No way!” and clutched my shopping cart tighter than ever. But a lot has changed since then. Ten years ago, we were immigrants in the US. By all ...

Triggered, Yet Transformed

One word I’ve heard often in the last few years is “triggered.” That wasn’t a common word in the first four decades of my life. But recently, it seems like everyone—and their best friend—is “triggered” by the slightest provocation. It could be a word or comment that sets them off. Or it’s the crazy traffic, an ...

Where is God When the Ache is Overwhelming?

Jet lag jolts me awake. It's 3:35 am. Not knowing what else to do, I grab my phone and scan the headlines. My heart slips into the pit of my stomach as I read the news articles about the children at Camp Mystic. “Lord, please, please let there be a miracle. Let the rest of the ...

Bible Plan: Finding Rest in a Busy World

To continue our June series on Bible Plans, this week we're focusing on the theme of rest. There’s no getting around the fact that we live in an always-spinning world. We yearn for quietness in our souls – but, often, that deep rest seems out of our reach. Or is it? In the next few days, ...

It’s Time We Brought Back “Sin”

Yeah, I admit. That’s a clickbait-ish title. But, I assure you, it will make sense eventually. Hear me out. In recent years, we’ve grown less accustomed to hearing that little three-letter word, “sin.” I’m not talking about popular culture where I wouldn’t expect the word “sin” to be bandied about, unless used to convey something exciting ...

When Your Decisions Aren’t Perfect

I’m at the age where many of life’s major decisions have been ironed out, neatly folded, and tucked away in a drawer. Not all of them, of course. But some of the most significant and confusing decisions are done and dusted: Which colleges should I apply to? What career should I choose? Should I take this job ...

A Beloved—Yet Overlooked—Instruction from Jesus

We tend to overlook some of Jesus’ last words in the Bible—words He said before He ascended into heaven. Which words in particular, you ask? That would be a sentence close to my heart. In the very last chapter of John, Jesus says, “Come and have breakfast.”(John 21:12) For someone who doesn’t believe in skipping meals—especially ...

When Faith Chooses to Hide

As I crawled through the Cu Chi tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City, I found myself, for one of the rare moments in my life, thankful for my petite frame. The 80-foot-long tunnel had been widened and lit at a few spots for tourists like me, but it was still a narrow, confined space that ...

Are You Too Warm?

We stand at the edge of the most important week in human history—Holy Week, which stretches from Palm Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem to die, to Easter, when Jesus rose from the grave. Can we prepare our hearts as we read the fourth devotional in our Rid Me of Myself Lent series?    Living in south India, ...
MEET SUSAN

I love words. But you probably figured that out by now, considering this website essentially collates my words on the web. Read More…