Desires for 2016: Preparing Your Heart for the Year Ahead

What are your dreams and desires for 2016? I know, it probably feels like I'm rushing this post ... and maybe I am a little bit. But I was thinking this morning how 2015 has flown by and I know these last few days of this year will be gone like a flash. So I started a little list of dreams I have for next year. Just some hopes and plans I'm pondering and treasuring as I look at what I hope 2016 will bring. These aren't the big goals and resolutions we often talk about as a new year ... [Read More]

Why Does Advent Matter?

  Our Elf is not on the shelf this year. She's happily resting on a ladder propped against the tree. She'll stay there with her little sideways grin until we pack all the stuff up until next year.  (Unless, that is, our fifteen-year-old decides she wants to use the elf to torment her daddy  at some point this month.) I've got two Advent calendars and a little chalkboard to count down the days set out. But, let's be real here, it's only December 3 and I'm already behind. As much ... [Read More]

Generosity in a Hoarder’s World

Welcome to day 12 of STAND OUT: 7 traits of a counter cultural life. You can find every post indexed here. Have you ever watched that show on TLC about hoarders? Y'all, it honestly freaks me out a little bit. I see all those piles and piles of stuff and I can begin to feel a little claustrophobic. I wonder how those people got to that point. In my research about hoarding I learned this definition: Hoarding is the persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their ... [Read More]

Living Wisely in the Everyday

Welcome to day 7 of STAND OUT: 7 traits of a counter cultural life.  You can find an index of all the posts in this series here. Today we're wrapping up our discussion about wisdom, the foundational trait of a counter cultural life. So far, we've recognized our need for wisdom from above and discovered the path to true wisdom is only through God.  Now it's time to get to the nitty gritty—the practical application of how wisdom impacts our daily pursuit of a counter cultural life. What does ... [Read More]

Monday’s To Do List

Today's list is full of things like laundry and vacuuming and writing columns for the local paper and stopping by the chiropractor and filling prescriptions and cleaning out my car.  It's the mundane stuff I often write on Monday's to do list. The little things that help me start the week better. These are not the earth-changing things, tasks that move mountains or inspire the masses.  Instead, Monday is full of the small things ... the steady hum of my dryer as all those piles are slowly ... [Read More]

Simple Bible Study for Busy Women

Last week I was talking to my friend Britta. We were dreaming about some big ideas God has placed inside our hearts and brainstorming together some of the ways we could partner to see those ideas turn into realities. One of the passions we share is encouraging women to interact with Scripture and to help them see how the Word of God intersects with daily life. It's no secret around here how deeply passionate I am about the value of daily time in the Word ... but I'm equally desperate to ... [Read More]