Something I’m hearing a lot lately is “when things go back to normal.” And I find it kind of irritating. I get it. Our lives are seriously disrupted and unpredictable right now. We want things to settle down, even out, and be normal again. But can I make a confession? I kinda hope they don’t. …
Tag: love
Your father is right here with you
When I was 28, I had a massive hip surgery. I’d never had a wisdom tooth pulled and was utterly terrified. The day of the procedure, I was dull and numb and the world moved in unreal slow motion. Thankfully, Mom was there. There I was, a grown woman, clinging to my mother as …
Holy jeans
These are my actual jeans. Notice anything odd about them? (Hint: It’s the knees.) I acquired these pants at different times, and I’ve worn them in steady rotation over the last four years, but when I bought them, none of them had holes or weird dye jobs (a fashion plate, I’m not). I earned these …
Your forever valentine
Don’t you just love love? Whether it’s romance or friendship, there’s something about truly being known by and knowing another person that really does it for us. What’s interesting (read: amazing, beautiful, shocking-in-a-good-way) is that if we raise our eyes just a bit above our everyday experience, we can see the source of love itself. …
It’s how you respond
How do you respond when God calls you? Do you hide and hope He passes by, like Adam in his post-fruit shame? Or do you leap up with an eager heart and reach for Him, saying “Here I am, Lord!” like Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, and Isaiah did? It’s tempting to pretend you’re invisible when …
Mary, did you know?
Do you think Mary knew? When she held her newborn son in her arms, both of them exhausted and raw, she knew he was the Son of God, but did she know he was the Savior? Did she know when she marvelled at his tiny hands and feet that one day she’d hold them when …
Come and see what God has done
He’s here! The Light of the World, the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Lords, the Savior of Mankind—God has arrived on Earth! And…he’s a baby? A tiny, squirming, helpless, crying, kinda-looks-like-Winston-Churchill poop machine? Yep. Because that’s how much God loves us. Jesus didn’t enter this world as a limitless, immaculate, divine being beyond reckoning …
All He wants for Christmas is you
Have you finished your Christmas shopping? Or are you speedwalking the mall, getting all sweaty in a dire search for the last Sven plushie in the tri-city area? (Not that I know anything about that.) Don’t worry, it’ll all work out. Always does. But as you’re checking off that gift list, I suspect there’s someone …
Look up and see who needs you
As we approach the big day, it’s easy to let the busyness of Christmas narrow our vision until all we can see is our own stress, our own lack, our own drama. But look up. Who around you is hurting? Who’s hungry or cold? Who’s using rent money to buy their kids gifts? Who’s lonely? …
Let it go
Hey. How are you? Like, really? Are you gliding through your day on wings of peace? Or are you barely holding it together in the grocery store? If you’re in that first group, bless your cotton socks. Enjoy an extra nog for me. If you’re in that second group, though, you’re not alone. GOD is …
The currency of God’s Kingdom is love
Divine math doesn’t always add up. While your bank balance may look grim, God’s accounting is about so much more than numbers. The currency of His Kingdom is love. And when you lavishly spend your love—your time, energy, attention, food, gas, money—on others, God fills the space between what you’ve got and what you need, …