Our culture has lost the epic significance of a leisurely and lavish feast shared with friends. We often prefer fast food, convenience, and a television blaring in the background. Even if we can manage to join everyone around a table, we rush through our food, barely savoring it and hardly engaging in meaningful conversation–at least […]
Inspirational
Exquisite Lies of the Soul
Yesterday my mom stopped by the house, and in passing, she mentioned something a friend of hers told her after spending a little time with me. She had several compliments to share–all warming my heart–but the comment that struck the deepest cord for me was this: “She has great energy. Kristin’s just someone you want […]
Rival the Enemy
The Bible makes it clear that we are fighting a spiritual battle of light and darkness and that our Enemy prowls like a lion seeking to devour us. John 10:10 sequesters his purpose to stealing, killing, and destroying. What does he destroy? Marriages, peace, joy, sense of purpose, relationships, effectiveness, and identity. He can’t take […]
Why Should Christians Practice Lent?
Being raised Baptist, I’m about as Protestant as they come, but sometime around college/post-college, I started paying attention to the liturgical Christian calendar and found great meaning and spiritual growth through intentional times of focus (Advent, Lent, etc.) I love the implications of ashes on my forehead and the purpose of lighting candles every week, […]
Sexual Exposure and Modesty & True Empowerment
“Any and every time we indulge in pornography, we deny the precious gospel truth that every man and woman possesses inherent dignity, not to be solicited and sold for sex, but to be valued and treasured as excellent in the eyes of God. People are not inferior objects to be used and abused for selfish, […]
To See Through Me To Something More Glorious
Scientific Name : Diphylleia grayi This flower is called a skeleton flower because its petals turn crystal clear when they make contact with water. When dry, the flower is white in color! When the Living Water of Christ pours over our lives, we become transparent and clear. People can see through our flaws to something […]
Don’t Worry, I’m Not All I Seem Either
Right before Christmas, I wrote down the top 19 memories from 2019, but truthfully, they weren’t necessarily my top memories: they were just the ones I wanted to remember. After all, sometimes we just want to forget the painful events that pushed us over or left us gasping for air. Social media has deluded us […]
What Can I Do With My ‘Today’? When You Feel Overwhelmed By Change
I wrote a letter to my daughter this morning. I do it every year around her birthday, so yes, I was tardy this trip around the sun, but it still got done in 2019. Since she doesn’t read my blog, I don’t have to worry about her finding out–unless you leak it, but you won’t […]
Iron on Iron: Why Accountability Counts
Proverbs 24:11: ” Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.” For many Christians, accountability hovers over the same category as humility, perseverance, and character. We know we should have it, but the thought of accountability makes us uncomfortable too. Ironically, having accountability upfront with safe and healthy believers makes […]
That’s a Gift? How Sometimes our Hardships Are God’s Fulfilled Promises
I’ve been reading through Scripture and Advent devotionals for myself (and the kids). We are so familiar with the story of Christ’s birth, sometimes we don’t slow down long enough to contemplate the implications of Immanuel, God with us. Or how Jesus fulfilled numerous prophesies foretold hundreds of years before He came. Or that He […]