She is a 30something from Chicago who has bounced around the country a good bit since leaving the house in which she grew up and landed in Austin, Texas, where she has fallen in love with two stepping and gets outside as much as possible to hike, play, climb, ski and paddle up, on, over, down and in any mountains or water she can find here or there or anywhere. These are her stories that are sometimes funny, might make you think a little and generally tell her experience of life and faith colliding for a girl who finds herself lightyears from where she ever dreamed she’d be and loving it more than she thought was possible.
It’s an interesting scene in an ancient text. The supporting actors, and I say actors because they are all men, have been previously described in bits and pieces, and the entire story continues to revolve around one person: Jesus. He’s having dinner with his closest friends for one last time before something big is about … More Interruptible: Missing the Main Point
It’d been a long time since I tried. Several months, if not a year. I was curious if it would be OK, if things would be different, if I wouldn’t hurt. After nearly three years of being benched from all things related to running, I wanted to try to “workout” again. So on a rainy, cold … More “You never know another person’s story.”
He wasn’t told the outcome. He wasn’t asked about it. His opinion didn’t matter. God just wanted him to do something. Something specific. Something strange. Something so scary that he ran away. Jonah. He’s the guy who ended up in the belly of the big fish in that short, 2-page book of the Bible. He … More Well, I’m glad that you didn’t ask me…
I never used to like the Psalms. When reading through the Bible, I’d look for reasons to skip the longest book it has. I knew that they were important but just wasn’t a big fan. Sure, there were the verses that I’d memorized in high school that got me to trust God with decisions, and there was … More The Psalms: Remember
“…the kingdom of heaven has come near…” It was happening. There was no date announced. No Facebook event weeks in advance inviting everyone and all of their friends. No putting the time in calendars with reminders set to make sure people were prepared. It was simply happening. Many would be surprised. Some may have expected it. … More Interruptible: The interruption that couldn’t be ignored
God doesn’t need our stuff. He really doesn’t. He doesn’t need our money or our time or our smarts or our education or our experience or our stuff. He just doesn’t. The God who created the universe and everything in it can do anything he wants to do, when he wants to do it and how he wants … More God doesn’t need our stuff.
Sometimes, the hardest thing in the world to do is absolutely nothing at all. And I imagine that’s how it felt for a man named Jehoshaphat. You can find the details of this story in 2 Chronicles 20, but the quick version is that three nations were teaming up to pick a fight, putting Jehoshaphat, … More “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Yes, you read that right: I gave up church for lent. And it was the holiest thing I’ve ever done to prepare for worship on Easter. I have never in my life fasted from something that drew me closer to Jesus and built anticipation for Easter Sunday in such a meaningful way. I didn’t go to … More What I learned when I gave up church for lent
Reputations matter. We like to say that they don’t. We like to think that we don’t judge or categorize people, not at all considering what we heard or haven’t heard about a person before meeting him, but that’s simply not true. We take words and stories and past experiences into subconscious consideration. Reputations, fortunately or … More Reputation: A man after God’s own heart
Yes, it’s true. I gave up church for lent. I love the Church. It’s a mess. It’s beautiful. It’s a mosaic of worship and personality. It’s an institution. It’s a body. It’s organic. It’s strategic. It’s an organization. And it’s family. It’s all kinds of things—seen as good and seen as bad. And I love … More Why I gave up church for lent
20 years & 1000 words 