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in Making Space
Why Risking Vulnerability is Worth It
A couple of weeks ago, I had the joy of attending my college reunion. It has been 25 years since we, the class of ’99, graduated from our programs. We were thrilled to see each other again. There were warm hugs, choruses of “hiiiii’s,” high-pitched screeches of excitement, and giggles like we were back in ...
The Sound Of Stillness—A Silent Saturday Reflection
The Sound Of Stillness
Saturday interjects a pause;
Friday laments suffering
Anguish and death,
Sunday proclaims wonder
Joy and life,
Saturday stands still, but He still speaks—
Even in the silence.
Saturday holds space for grief;
It doesn’t hasten us to “move on.”’
It gives us permission
To mourn,
To doubt,
To weep—
Even as we wrestle.
Saturday reminds us of the truth;
The God of the Sabbath
Directs our hearts
To be ...
Advent Devotional (Week 3): Amazing Love, How Can It Be?
As we start week three of Advent this Sunday, December 17th, we're going to dwell on the topic of love.
Honestly, of the four themes of hope, peace, joy, and love that we've dived into in our Advent devotional, I was most intimidated about writing about love! I know, weird, right? But God's love is infinite ...
God Doesn’t Look For This – An Advent Meditation
Back in my teen years, I wanted to be a captain. Not the captain of a ship. Nor of a football team. But the captain of a house. Let me explain.
At my high school, the entire student body was divvied into four teams that we called “houses.” Each house had a captain and vice-captain. These ...
A is for Apple…and Advent
“I don’t have a snack today because my mom didn’t have money to buy me anything,” she says with a brave smile. She tries her best to sound nonchalant about the fact that while the other kids eat their cookies and fruit, she won’t have anything to munch on.
I think about my overstuffed shelves jammed ...
Hurting People Don’t Need This (As Much As We Think They Do)
Six months ago, our seemingly perfect life was fragmented by the sudden passing of my husband’s dad. As waves of grief engulfed us, we also got slammed with health concerns and job transitions, and the pressures that come with unforeseen changes. It felt like a punch in the gut, followed by less-intense-but-painful jabs that knocked ...
Are You Struggling to Read the Word? Part 1
The other day, a reader asked me about how I managed to stay passionate about the Word of God and focus on Scripture.
It got me thinking because while reading the Word is part of my daily rhythm now, it hasn’t always been the case.
There have been long seasons where dust gathered on my Bible and ...
When You Have to “Go Through It”
“We can’t go over it,
We can’t go under it,
Oh no!
We got to go through it.”
You may recognize those words from the beloved children’s book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.
I remember animatedly reading the book to my kids when they were little, complete with impressive (if I say so myself) sound effects. In the book, ...
Making Space – An Advent Devotional
Lists. That's how I usually begin my holiday prep.
Guest lists. Recipe lists. Gift lists. Shopping lists that include embarrassing amounts of butter and sugar for the baking that will soon commence.
But sometimes those lists and all the frenzy and activity can crowd out Christ. A few years ago, God impressed on my heart that while ...
MEET SUSAN
