Prayer, Creativity & Faith

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For the one who’s not rejoicing

I don’t know what kind of world we are about to face. I have my fears and legitimate concerns, like many of the rest of you. At the same time, I know some of you feel like God has prevailed and all will now be well. I feel an...... More »

One of the most alluring things about Christianity is the feeling of belonging, of being part of something bigger. Of knowing where you fit inside that insular bubble. Of knowing the answers to the fill-in-the-blank questions, knowing what verses to quote, knowing where to find things in the Bible....... More »

Travel—a necessary luxury

  I wish everyone could travel and realize America is not the center of the universe. Not even close. Everyone should have the chance to feel ignorant. Slow. Dim-witted. Embarrassed. Not very smart. (After all, they’re multilingual and I’ve merely completed 300 days of Duolingo.) My feeble attempts to...... More »

If you read Praying Upside Down, you know that in 2007 my husband and I owned two houses for two years because we couldn’t sell the first one. In the process, I began praying for the woman, whoever she was, who would someday buy the house. Doing so opened...... More »

Learning to Paint

As many of you know, my dad was a professional watercolorist. He painted full-time for 45 years, and once he started painting, he never had another job. One of his favorite sayings, when people asked how long a painting took him, was “three hours and thirty years,” or eventually...... More »

Adding Words + Pictures

  For my birthday in July, a friend bought me a really fun gift—a pocket watercolor set and a 3×5-ish watercolor sketch book. It’s adorable… but I was like, what on earth am I going to do with this?  When I attended the recent Midwest Writers Workshop, Kelcey Ervick, the author of a graphic...... More »

This is my church

“I am an atheist, but this…” He extends his arms wide and looks around him. “…is my church! Once a year I come here to get filled back up!” Those may not be his exact words, but every year, Matthew Clemens shares a version of this statement at Midwest...... More »

Why I write down my stories

Not long ago, I re-read an old book. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was different than I remembered. I mean, some things made me cringe a teensy bit—but I found myself reading stories I’d forgotten, totally interested to see what happened. I was blown...... More »

Gratitude and Grief

Recently I was invited to lead a session on GRATITUDE AND GRIEF for a local organization called Dusk to Dawn Bereavement Services. I adapted that message to share with all of you here. Years ago, as I sat beside Mom’s hospital bed, temporarily placed in ours dining room—listening to...... More »

God is my destination

I was thinking again the other day (as I do daily, ad nauseam) about my struggles with my faith. My doubts, the journey I’ve been on, the losses I’ve experienced as my faith has evolved—my old (and much-loved) church community, friendships, my sense of security. My new church recently...... More »