Despite the Circumstances
Have you ever volunteered or signed up for something that you actually had no business signing up for? Or maybe you thought after the fact, “What was I thinking?...
Category: Hope and Joy
Joy in Every Season
I love watching the shifting of seasons at the lake in my hometown. In the summer I have to wind my way around runners and bikers...
Let’s Celebrate!
Each year we here at Velvet Ashes count down to retreat weekend as if we were kids at Christmas…and this is Christmas morning. It’s finally time to rip off...
I’ll Take Your Shoulders
Around Thanksgiving, I signed up to run a race in late January. Since I’ve abandoned the life of a solo runner (see that story here), I invited my friends...
Eeyore, Dungeons, and Always Rejoicing
A few years ago, Andrew Peterson released a song titled “Rejoice” and I didn’t like it. This is odd for a few reasons. Reason one:...
From Burn to Release
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real...
Celebrating His Goodness in the Land of the Giants
I am more like the 10 spies who saw the giants in the land, rather than Caleb and Joshua. Do you remember the story in...
The Company We Keep
How many countless “even though” moments have I had in my life? Even though I want my jeans to fit better, I will eat this...
When Wandering
“Where are we going today, Mom? What are we going to do?” One of my daughters begins almost every morning with this, before I’ve drained my first cup of...
Hospitality as Sacred Space {The Grove: Sacred Spaces}
I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ve moved around a lot. In fact, I’ve lived in transitional church housing longer than I have lived in any other location,...
