Lay Down Your Arms {The Grove: Peace}
The police force in our country is called An Garda Síochána, which literally means “Guardians of the Peace.” Their job, like most policemen, is to patrol our communities, arrest ne’er-do-wells,...
Category: Spiritual Formation
He Knows My Name!
Tears sprang to my eyes during Thanksgiving week as my dad said, “Julie-girl, thank you for coming.” For the past 10 months, my father has not known...
I Hate Waiting {The Grove: Waiting}
I hate waiting. It’s the worst. And I’m not necessarily talking about waiting in long immigration lines or sitting in traffic, although those can...
Waiting Safely
When I was a child I used to love the weeks leading up to Christmas. The waiting for that one special day that was slowly approaching was almost delicious. Every...
Shepherd of the Valley {The Grove: Shepherding}
You truly are Not Alone! [totaldonations-progress-bar id="19498" button="yes" button_text="Give Now to the Not Alone Campaign"] Psalm 23 paints a peace...
Delighting in Weakness {The Grove: Sufficient}
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness...” 2 Corinthians 12: 9 August 7, 2017, was a big day for me....
When the Scary Sound You Hear Isn’t Actually Scary
Loading the laundry machine, I heard the skittering of little claws on the tin roof above. Our machine was outside, behind our kitchen, and the sound put me on edge....
The Myth of Conversion
The Good Earth by Pearl Buck was my all-time favorite book in Mrs. Sigmon's 7th grade English class. Back then, I never would have imagined I’d spend 20 years of...
What are You Holding?
I love the concept that God is holding us in the palm of his hand. The comfort we have in the knowledge that he holds us is...
Open to Reflection
My eight year old believes he knows the answers to everything. He assumes that his gut reaction is right, and he is the constant naysayer in our family. Often my...
