This week, I found myself in the horse pasture, gathering apples. Our horses are blessed to have a couple of apple trees and one peach tree in their little pasture, and we are blessed that they don't eat them all. Apple picking was not high on my teenage children's list this beautiful September day. Wishing […]
Shadow loves our walks up the road, but she is happiest when we leave the leash behind. The moment I unclip it, she bounds forward with ears flying, tail wagging, and eyes sparkling with joy. She runs, circles back, runs again, stopping only long enough to look at me as if to say, “Isn’t this […]
Do you long to more readily run to the Lord and turn toward truth, faith, and repentance throughout your day? Lament is a wonderful way to commune with the Father, remember truth, and walk by faith. It's something I hang onto every day, even in seasons of joy. Why would I lament during a joyful […]
I awoke from another night of lost sleep. Our little farmhouse was still, except for my movement toward the coffee pot and the cat eyes watching me. They were tracking my every move, anticipating that I'd soon be headed for the stash of canned salmon. After a long night of waiting, they would each be […]
What are you waiting on the Lord for? Perhaps it's guidance, good news, a job, a provision of some kind, or reconciliation with a loved one. Are you finding that difficult? Waiting well can be so hard. I’ve been waiting on the Lord for months for a sense of closure on an issue that is […]
Do you ever feel ashamed or disappointed that you have lacked faith or confidence in God…or even doubted Him? Our doubts, lack of trust, or weak faith may tempt us to think our faith isn’t strong enough. Let’s look at some scripture passages that might encourage us – even if our faith feels small today. […]
What do you think the artist was trying to show his audience in each person's direction of attention? This painting, Gentile Da Fabriano's Nativity from 1423, and the art study question are included in my updated and expanded Advent devotional, Beyond the Nativity. In it, each of the four weeks leading up to Christmas has […]
August of 2020 seems so long ago, but I'm revisiting a post from back then because it was such an uncertain time. As I face some new unknowns over the next month, I want to remember some things I learned during that first year or two of Covid. I remember spending more time outside and […]
My husband called to me from outside, "Get your shoes on and come out here!" I thought for sure yet another item on our property was to be found damaged. Lately, storms had washed up debris into our yard, torn up our gravel road, and blown work projects across our lawn. I sighed, rolled my […]
Gardening is a form of suffering. Not for everyone who does it, but it is for me! My dad peruses seed catalogs like I used to peruse the Christmas toy catalogs as a child. I, on the other hand, feel a bit anxious at the sight of them in the mailbox. What will I plant? […]
Advent Joy isn’t shallow or sentimental—it is rooted in the appearing of Christ. When Scripture speaks of Christ being manifested, it means that God has made Himself clearly seen, known, and encountered in order to save. “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation…” — Titus 2:11, ESV The Child in the manger is the […]
Where do you long for Christ’s Peace to enter your story this week? Or have you given up hope for that? Perhaps it would be good for you and me to remember Jesus' words about the kind of peace He gives. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the […]