You add another item to the grocery list. Hop online to order a couple more gifts on Amazon. Hear your phone ding with a low balance alert. Lovely. Remember that you need to order another stocking because there will be someone new at Christmas this year… where did you get the other ones? Search online...

I used to design and write my church’s weekly bulletin, and I was aware that, for some, certain holidays brought with them sadness. But I believed that surely time healed all wounds. Sure, it was sad when someone died, but I thought it was morbid to dwell on it. I naively assumed people could let...

Since I lost Mom three and a half years ago, Christmas has been decidedly less fun. The best part of Christmas was finding really fun, quirky gifts that only my mom would like—and lots of them. She did the same for me. But now, she’s not on my gift list. My kids are past the...

So…whaddaya think? I’ll tell you why I like it. It’s hand-painted and hand-lettered (by one of Tyndale’s fabulous designers), so that brings in the art aspect. This optical illusion—the faces and/or chalice—is one that’s featured in the book. (But you’ll have to wait until then to read the whole story behind it.) The image depicts...

Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of God. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

you seem so far away from me today. just out of reach. or maybe i’m the one who’s out of reach. out of touch. what it is in me that makes you so hard to see? i need new eyes, spiritual eyeballs that look past the bills that need paying and the car that needs...

Lord, today, like so many days, I feel so far from You. Yet I know You’re there. I hate how little I pray anymore. At the same time, it feels as though You’ve taken up residence inside me. And you’re not budging. You’ve claimed me. I am Yours. This is the beauty of grace. It...

One more dab of paint, one more piece of the puzzle, one more way to connect with God… So excited to announce that I’m guest posting today on my all-time favorite blog. Come visit? And set aside some time to come back and then read everything Addie Zierman ever wrote? I remember the moment that...

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face...

I have a soft spot for The Voice and American Idol. As I watch, I think about what courage it took for each of those people to walk into the initial audition room. To believe enough in their abilities and potential that they would perform in front of celebrities. To be able to stand there...