Straddling Seasons
The weather has been strange this year. In my little corner of the globe, nestled in the middle of the USA, I’m used to the seasons being a bit unpredictable. “If you don’t like the weather, just wait an hour,” someone inevitably mutters whenever the topic comes up. After a long, hot summer, I’ve been […]
Songs in New Seasons
Maybe it’s because I was born in the month of September, but the start of fall has always caused me to exhale. My body seems to settle and sing, as if to say, “Yes, you are home here.” I belong here in the beginning of changing colors and the invitation to wear colors that complement […]
Mangoes, Marshmallows, and Living Ecclesiastically
We have two seasons in Port Morseby, where I live: hot and hotter. At least, that’s what I like to tell people. I’m extra grateful this year to be in my passport country for a season, where the air is already crisp, the wood stove is roaring, and I’m wearing a long-sleeved flannel shirt as […]
The Gift of Fallow Seasons
From up on our second floor, I gaze down upon the multiple gardens surrounding our home. Maize towers, dancing in the early morning breeze. Vibrant green dots our ministry lands, evidence that there has been so much growth since the initial planting. It’s incredible to think that those evenly placed seeds, carefully nestled in nutrient-rich […]
This Month’s Theme: Seasons
Some of us come from places where the changing colors of the seasons are a comforting marker of the movement of time. We might love one season more than another but we know things will eventually change with a predictable pattern. We might not be able to say the same thing about the seasons in […]
Do You Know What I’m Longing For?
Do you know what I’m longing for? Today as we officially begin our annual Online Retreat here across our global Velvet Ashes community, I am picturing a scene that fills me with longing. I see us at a table. There’s about twelve of us there, small enough that every person is seen and heard. Somehow […]
Hear From Women in the Community as they Get Ready to Retreat
We love knowing that there are women retreating all over the world—getting away to a hotel or the quiet of their backyard, sharing in sweet conversation with friends or teammates in a living room or on Zoom. The options are endless and it is beautiful! Today we get to hear from three ladies in our […]
It’s Retreat Week, Ladies! (Here’s our lineup)
It’s Retreat week, ladies! Our global Velvet Ashes Online Retreat is happening this weekend! Show of hands, how many of you are mentally, emotionally, and spiritually so ready to retreat? The thought of time and space for the Lord to tend to your soul is exactly what you are longing for. Another show of hands, […]
This Week’s Theme: Seasons
The first downpour of rainy season, bringing cool that settles dust and hearts. Pink buds emerging like hope as spring arrives in all her glory. The steady predictability of seasons that only change the weather the slightest bit. Seasons teach us, shape us, influence our minds and hearts. They give us words to describe this life we […]