Some of my favorite people are orphans. And of course they're fictional characters. Anne Shirley, Harry Potter, Amy Pond, Frodo Baggins, Christine Daae, Dorothy Gale, Quasimodo, Lilo... throw in the functional orphans (hello, Eliza, Pippi, and Huck!), and you've got quite the crew ready to take on the world. When I was little, the four... Continue Reading →
Have you ever had a theme song for a particular season of life, an anthem that if you were quiet enough, you could almost hear spinning through the air? For the entire first year we lived in New England, mine was Home by Phillip Phillips. Nothing too flashy or deep; it just caught at me... Continue Reading →
I set out to title this post "Cultivating a Quiet Heart," but the picture I found was too perfect to not use. The power, the emotion, the effect: all work together to portray exactly what it looks like to settle yourself down into an attitude of calm when everything inside screams for action, for noise,... Continue Reading →
Welcome to a sparkly, stunning, brand-new year, friend! Let's hold our breath and jump in to the beautiful plans God has for us together. As we bravely venture forward into the great unknown with a fair amount of sass, here are some pieces of happiness to help light the way. Some January gifts to point... Continue Reading →
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. (Psalm 16:6) The sun is setting on another year; it's time to give thanks for what has been and anticipate what's yet to come. I've been pondering the concept of contentment lately and have found it fitting to settle... Continue Reading →
Warning: The following contains elements of very real darkness and very real light. The darkness is fictional (though inspired by actual events that happen all the time), but the light is true, true, true. There is a heavenly rhythm that sways the people of God: it rescues the lost and lifts up the downtrodden. It... Continue Reading →
Marilyn Monroe was always a human Barbie in my mind: sexy, gorgeous, put together—basically the perfect woman (maybe minus the ethics). I just watched Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for the first time last week and giggled my way through her character's ditzy shenanigans. As brainless as Miss Lorelei Lee may be, Monroe herself had quite the... Continue Reading →
Your world is full of voices, all vying to be heard and repeated by you. Maybe it's your parents or your boss or your friend or your regrets or your pride or your self-hatred or your pastor or your hopes or your rules or any of a million others clamoring for attention. Sweet friend, as... Continue Reading →
Each soul has its own distinct soundtrack, a series of melodies and lyrics that run through it in the middle of the night and under the wide open blue sky. The words whisper deep truths (or lies), the music beats or thrums or whirrs or tinkles or screams, and our lives match the cadence and... Continue Reading →
Christmas isn't always the most wonderful time of the year. Thankful families think full about their loved ones in constant danger on active duty overseas. Loneliness bites at the fingertips of forgotten elders tucked away in their nursing home beds. Recently-emptied chairs and newly-filled graves loom large in the light of nativity season. Grief, bitterness,... Continue Reading →
The Dwelling Place 