All year long I've been planning what I would read for Advent. In typical 2020 fashion, those plans fell through and in a last minute decision, I decided that instead of trying to quickly come up with an alternative, I would just read the opening chapters of Luke each day. There's something about reading the… Continue reading He Does Great Things

The old Thanksgiving hymn "We Gather Together" has been stuck in my head the last few days. It was stuck in my head as our Governor gave a press conference on Ohio's dangerous spike in cases. It was stuck in my head when our elders let us know we would be cutting back on evening… Continue reading We Will Gather Together

During one of my last autumn walks this year, I came across an open field on the other side of the woods behind our house. It was close to the elementary school, and the strong scent in the air clued me in to the fact that it had recently been mowed. Well, that, the large… Continue reading Beauty in the Barren Fields

Words. I’ve grown rather tired of them this year. Everyone has words and most of them contradict, weigh down, and confuse. Are you weary of them, too? As someone who has grown up loving words, this being burdened by them, is a new experience. I recently deleted several social media accounts because I could not… Continue reading Words of Refuge

I accidentally took a month long sabbatical from writing. Perhaps I should say it was accidental on my part, but right on schedule with the Lord's plan. I see now that it was all in His perfect wisdom, because there was much needed work to be done in my heart that could not be accomplished… Continue reading Ordinary

Did you know it’s not your unwavering faith that keeps you steady but the unwavering Savior in whom your wavering faith is placed? It’s true. Sometimes (a lot of the time) I don’t understand God or how He works. But I know this to be true: He is good. He’s good when I feel it,… Continue reading The Safest Place

Our backyard is beautiful right now. This morning I woke up earlier than I had in weeks and watched the sky be painted with cotton candy colors as the rays of light pierced through the trees making known to the world that a new day was breaking. Blossoms on the barren branches waved in the… Continue reading When Change and Tears Are Past

I called her one day last fall, crying, because my day had been really hard. I poured out my doubts, questions, and tears. She listened, just like she always does, and then gently reminded me that Jesus was enough and He wasn't going anywhere. We hung up the phone and I felt refreshed. A few… Continue reading The Kind of Friend I Want to Be

I was hiking with my friend in the middle of the desert, wondering why on earth I had agreed to it. The temperature was 104 degrees and the sweat was pooling in my socks. We climbed up rocks, walked over long stretches of hard dirt, and felt the sun beat down on our backs. She… Continue reading On a Path I Never Would’ve Chosen

This morning when checking my email, I found one from my grandmother about Hallmark channel's "Jingle in July." For those of you who have not ever enjoyed a Hallmark Christmas film, this is a summer excuse for Christmas lovers around the world to forget that it's the dead of summer, curl up on the couch,… Continue reading Tidings of Comfort & Joy