Have you ever encountered a really gentle presence? Someone you can trust your heart with? A safe place where you might fall apart or celebrate deeply? The gift of being that for others is wildly understated in this rough-and-tumble, me-first culture full of noise and rush and ego. Burden-bearing is precious work. So on behalf... Continue Reading →
"Practice makes perfect!" What kid hasn't heard this sentiment? Loathe as we may have been to sit down and go through the notes or moves or whatever yet again, those grownups had a point. What we consistently rehearse becomes second nature to us in time. Our culture rehearses love. Well, not love. But something disguised... Continue Reading →
“As the hours crept by, the afternoon sunlight bleached all the books on the shelves to pale, gilded versions of themselves and warmed the paper and ink inside the covers so that the smell of unread words hung in the air.” (Maggie Stiefvater) Very few pleasures in life can beat curling up with a good... Continue Reading →
Whether we're six or sixty, it's time again for bedazzling containers to hold our hearts. In a world so quick to show anything but real love, Jesus followers have a beautiful chance to display what mended souls can look like: pure, deep, lasting, patient, kind, free, compassionate. Let's not settle for cheap imitations of love;... Continue Reading →
Try your best to remember the first moment you moved from the shallow part of the pool into the deep end unassisted. When all you've felt is the solid ground beneath your feet, the feeling of complete weightlessness can be unnerving. Sure, that same solid ground is under there somewhere, but it's farther away than... Continue Reading →
"See the beauty and the magic that surround you, no matter where you are." (Christen Olivarez) Welcome to the long duration of cold between Christmas trees and Easter eggs. It's a stark season, winter, but there's beauty here if you know where (and how) to look. Seeing seems easier with a camera in front of... Continue Reading →
"Your story is the one that could set us all ablaze." (Dan Allender) It's impossible to separate our souls from our stories. God wrote out His plan for us long before we took our first breath, and the ensuing chapters unfold to shape and develop the fullness of who we are meant to become. This... Continue Reading →
You can't read through many of the psalms (three, to be exact) without encountering an odd little Hebrew term that might catch you off-guard: selah. Growing up in church, I was taught it meant to stop and ponder, but the Sunday School teacher was brief in her description and didn't really appreciate my incessant questions.*... Continue Reading →
"I don't like you anymore!" Can you hear it? My heart breaking? The outcry against this sucker punch to the soul? After being cast out of Eden due to our own rebel rhythm, we were plunged feet-first into brokenness. It taints everything, and it's impossible to escape life unscathed. We've all been wounded. We all... Continue Reading →
And that's not all, folks! If you call in the next ten minutes, we'll throw in our extra-fancy doohickey FOR FREE! Don't wait! Call now! This offer won't last! Take a minute to breathe. I loathe those commercials, cheesy as they may be. I don't mind the cheese. I mind the urgent feeling they create,... Continue Reading →
The Dwelling Place 