bible
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Fruit Takes Time
We planted a peach tree at the back of our yard years ago. I bought it at the end of the growing season one year. It was a tiny stick in a pot of dirt; maybe 6 inches tall with a couple of measly shoots (even sadder than Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree). I knew its… Continue reading
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Five Lessons In Loss
We went out to dinner the Friday before Christmas in order to celebrate. My boys had just finished another semester of school. They endured finals and persevered through them. One of my boys made some significant strides in personal discipline and fortitude. It was Advent. Christmas was days away. Despite the sorrow that still walks… Continue reading
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The Soul’s Worth
It’s interesting to me when the Spirit decides to show me clarity. Maybe it was the man standing next to me who loudly announced that Away in a Manger was from the children’s fairy tale book he has. It stirred both sadness and awareness about his lost state alongside gratitude that the Lord has opened… Continue reading
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Things That May Not Be
Next Monday, September 29, will mark three years since Ezra left this earth. Grief is disorienting in that at times, three years feels like an eternity and in other ways, it seems as if we lost him a few weeks ago. I’m not sure my mind can comprehend quite yet that it will be three… Continue reading
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The True Paradox of Faith
I come from a family comprised mostly of adventure seekers. Whether it be parachuting from a plane or hanging from the side of a mountain on a Via Feratta, the search for the next rush of adrenaline is often on their minds. The day God was handing out adventure genes, however, I was given a… Continue reading
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On Decluttering Hope
I spent the bulk of my morning on Monday decluttering many spaces in my home. I combed through my own closet and got rid of clothing that I had not worn over the winter. I dug out countless “treasures” (translated mostly junky items) from my younger boys’ room. I cleaned out the linen closet. I… Continue reading
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The Good We Cannot See
We long to see redemption in our stories. We long to understand what God is up to; how he uses pain for our good and his glory. God has promised he will work all things for good for those who love him and there are times that God, in his kindness, allows a glimpse of… Continue reading
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Joy and Weeping
I recently had a conversation with someone about loss and grief. In the conversation, he asked me, “Do you feel like you have joy?” I paused before I answered and asked if he could clarify what he meant by joy. Depending on how he defined joy, it would dramatically affect the answer I gave. His… Continue reading
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Restoration
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the concept of restoration. I think for me, I am realizing that there are a lot of ideas and words that float around Christian sub-culture that sound really amazing, but when I sit down and really chew on what the ideas mean, I realize I can’t actually put… Continue reading
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There Is No Formula
When I was in my early 20’s, anxiety became a very real and painful part of my story. I accumulated years of sleepless nights as panic attacks would haunt me in the dark. I cannot count the number of times I prayed Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer… Continue reading
Faithful Paradox 