Pringles, a Cracked Plastic Spoon, and the Desire of our Souls
A Star Wars Jabba-the-Hutt Lego set. That was what set my brother-in-law on a quest that would end up with a costly broken lock on a car, and a big fat punishment for him. When he was a kid, he desperately wanted that Star Wars Lego set. So, when he was pretty sure that his […]
The Daily Grind of Desiring God
This is what I desire these days of seeking and hoping for healing of my own brokenness: I want to be healed. I want to desire God. I want to WANT TO again. What gets in the way? Let’s see…I could blame my kids. They’re always running around acting like wild animals, and I feel […]
The Greatest Song You’ve Never Heard
Do you hear that? Stop for a second. Listen. It’s faint but undeniably present. Can you hear it? It seems to be . . . a melody. It is distant, almost inaudible. If you strain you will hear it more clearly. It is beautiful, wistful, enrapturing. This is the sound of your life. Indeed, life […]
The Epic Battle of the Blanket and the Bible
I’ve had many ladies encourage me over the years after I’ve voiced my frustration over not spending quality time with the Lord, “It is just the stage of life you are in. Don’t beat yourself up. The Lord knows your heart.” The problem with heeding that advice is that I have been in this stage […]
The Desert Shall Blossom
Our worldwide online retreat is next week! Choose a day or half day and experience a personal spiritual retreat that comes to you. ****** “In the desert ways I’ll sing / Spring, O Well, forever spring…”- Holy Spirit, Truth Divine, Samuel Longfellow It is my first dry season in Congo. I moved to the mid-sized city […]
A Reason to Remember
Some years I just wanted to skip over Easter. Some days I’m just worn down and brought to a point in which I want to throw in the towel. I think, It’d be easier not to celebrate; I could view it simply as a day to give the kids chocolate eggs in plastic baskets. The […]
A Yoke of Freedom
“For my yoke is easy, my burden is light…(Matt. 11:30)” This has been one of the most difficult verses to reconcile in my life. As an MK my most traumatic experiences are enveloped under the phrase “Jesus called us…,” When your house burns down, it’s for Jesus. When you have rocks thrown at you, it’s […]
Capture the Fluffy Moments
Twice a week, a soft knock taps on our gate, alerting me that our vegetable lady has arrived. She is a sweet lady who comes with her sister with baskets of fruits and vegetables on their heads. She might offer me her cell phone and ask me to translate an English text from another “toubab”, […]
A Love Beyond Compare
Hesed is a truth that brings me to my knees in gratitude and worship. Let me explain. One of my friends in China was once in a terrible car accident. I will never forget the description she shared with me later on that first day in the hospital. The doctors weren’t sure if she would survive, […]
Joy
Multiple times this fall I’ve heard the acronym Jesus, Others, You for joy. Can joy really be reduced to a simple acronym? Part of me recoils and wants to back away saying, “Well, that might work for new believers or people who are wired more innocently than I am. I’m a bit too, ahem, sophisticated […]
Merry Christmas from Velvet Ashes
Wherever you are in this big beautiful broken earth, may you be at home in Him today. May your definition of Christmas stretch new and wide. May any miles that separate you and your loved ones rise as a fragrant gift offering to Him. May the loss and pain of this year be carried to the […]
Come, Lord Jesus
Come, Lord Jesus, into a night dark. Come into a night with a sky of ink, shattered by a billion tiny lights: of white, of green, of red, of blue. Come when the night is at its depth, when a fire is needed, when a candle is lit, when a torch is carried. Come, Lord […]