What I Write

Be of Good Cheer, Your Seasons Are In God's Hands

On Saturday, I took part in a strange American ritual called: cheer competition. Even though I cheered in high school, today’s competitive world of cheer is completely foreign....

The Lies Writers Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free

The world is full of good advice for writers. Just ask Google, “How to start writing?” and you’ll get a host of interesting answers like become a reader, commit to a...

Coram Deo & How to Make Your Life & Work Count for Eternity

Are your life and work making an impact for eternity? This is an uncomfortable question. But perhaps this is the question behind the question of why we make new year’s...

The 10 Best Posts on Life, Leisure, and the Pursuit of Holiness in 2022

There’s something about turning the calendar page from December 31 to January 1 that makes us all a little more reflective about our lives. It’s a natural time to take...

Better than a Christmas Truce is the Prince of Peace

It was about 10 pm on Christmas Eve 1914 when the guns fell silent on the Western Front. World War I was raging in Europe, and there was no end to the fighting in sight. When the...

How the Son Is the Everlasting Father & Why It Matters

High in the White Mountains of eastern California lives the oldest tree in the world. The U.S. Forest Service has kept its location a secret, in order to protect the...

How the Mighty God Sets Prisoners Free

Dimitri sat in his prison cell with his head in his hands. His jailers and tormentors had finally broken him, and he was ready to recant. He had endured the daily physical abuse,...

The Wonder of Christmas is Found in the Wonderful Counselor

Every year on Christmas Eve, we visit a neighborhood that synchronizes its light displays to music and offers yuletide cheer in the form of hot chocolate. From the moment we turn...

12 New Advent Resources to Prepare Your Heart This Christmas

Ready or not, the countdown to Christmas has officially begun. As we prepare our homes, trees, and kitchens, let's also prepare our hearts to worship the newborn King. I pray...

Teens, Quiet Times, & How to Change Affections One Pot of Earl Grey at a Time

“Christ has not conquered my affections if he has to compete for my attention.” Leonard Ravenhill Every once in a while, I catch a glimpse of just how much our...

The Blessedness of the Marriage Supper & 7 Ways to Rejoice Now

We’ve been exploring the theme of God’s redemption story through various meals in the Bible. The first meal took place in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve traded...

Breakfast on the Beach & the Denier's Restoration Meal

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.”John 21:12 “I’m going fishing.” Peter didn’t know what to do, so he thought he’d return to the only thing he did...

Supper in the Upper & How to Feast at His Table

It was the night before Jesus’ crucifixion and the mood around the table was somber. The Passover meal was underway in the Upper Room, and Judas had left the table to do his...

Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places

The noonday sun was as relentless as the social reproach from the village women, but she was willing to endure the former, to avoid the latter. Balancing the stone waterpot on...

Remember the Morning Watch: A Call for Early Morning Devotions

Over the summer I slacked off on my quiet times. I didn’t mean to, it just sort of happened. We didn’t need to rush out the door, so the mornings took on a more Saturday kind...

Now What? How Parents Can Pray for Their College-Aged Kids

He stopped me in the kitchen, wrapped his massive arms around me, and said, “I love you, Mom,” and that’s all it took for the dam to break. I had been purposefully keeping...

Our Daily Bread & How to Be Satisfied Forever

Not far off the eastern shores of Honduras, in the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, lies the Bay Island of Roatán. Known for its beautiful beaches, barrier reef, and...

A Theology of Leftovers & How to Feed Your Hungry Soul

(Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:12-17, John 6:1-14) The waning rays of daylight glittered across the Sea of Galilee. People were scattered as far as the eye could see...

The Good Wine's Kept for Last & How to Receive Blessing Now

If the walls inside the Paris cellar could talk, they’d tell stories of wars, and rumors of wars, cigarette breaks, and love affairs that took place under their silent watch....

What I've Learned from 25 Years of Marriage

Heirs together in the grace of life 1 Peter 3:7 Twenty-five years ago today, we stood before God and a hundred and fifty witnesses and made some pretty audacious...

Adopted & Beloved, the Banqueting Father & His Hesed Love

So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons. 2 Sam 9:11 When Albuquerque police officer Ryan Holets responded to a call at a gas station, he had...

Mountain Climbers, Beautiful Feet, & How Peace with God is Possible

“They beheld God, and ate and drank."Exodus 24:11 They weren’t sure what was trembling more as they ascended the mountain known to quake in his presence. Was it their legs...

When God Came to Dinner & Why This Truth Changes Everything

Yesterday was a diamond day. The kind that will sparkle in my memory for years to come. For a few glorious days, my husband and I have stepped away from the responsibilities that...

He’s a Good Good Father and 12 Ways to Encourage Yours This Father's Day

I spent my twenty-ninth birthday in the Emergency Room. It was late at night, and our four-year-old daughter was having severe abdominal pain. Feeling the situation was urgent,...

Naked & Afraid: Why You Need to Answer This Question Today

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees...

The Key to Being Grateful Comes in the Least Expected Way

This week I'm sharing a guest post I wrote for my writer friend, Twyla, and her series on gratitude. If you've ever struggled to have a healthy relationship with your body and...

A letter to my son on his high school graduation

The Not-So-Secret Path of Life & 22 Ways to Trust the Lord, Class of 2022

Dear Son, I vaguely remember doing the math when you were born in 2003. It occurred to me that what seemed like a million years into the future, way off in 2022, you’d...

10 Articles to Ready Your Heart & Hands This Summer

I’m convinced that May is really December with fewer layers. At the end of the school year, we have just as many parties to attend, choir concerts to endure, and teacher...

How to Create an Irresistible Brand Story with these 7 Elements

Famous American novelist, Ernest Hemingway, once bet a group of friends that he could make them cry from a story with only six words. If he won the bet, each of his friends would...

Teach Us to Number Our Drives, That We May Gain the Hearts of Our Children

My job as a Mom means my secondary office is my car. On days when we have sports commitments, I spend hours and hours shuttling my kids around town. This is nothing new for me,...

5 Copywriting Commandments and How to Implement Them On Your Website

The power of the written word has always fascinated me. Years ago when visiting the British Museum, I geeked out when I saw the Magna Carta, the earliest copy fragments of the...

Hope for the Doubting Thomases of the World

All Thomas wanted was to be alone. He didn’t know how to process Jesus’ horrific death, nor the fact that he ran away like a coward when he had promised he’d die with him....

Midnight at Noon & the Irony & Goodness of Good Friday

When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly, this was the...

Paradise Found: The Thief on the Cross & You & Me

And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke...

Is There Such Thing As Random? How God Orchestrates People In His Perfect Timing

When my brother Marc was four years old, he and my Mom were in a department store moving downstairs on an escalator, when suddenly he screamed, “My foot, my foot!” Mom saw...

The Pontius Pilate Effect and How Not to Wash Your Hands of the Truth

Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a...

Prophecy, Palm Branches, and How to Trust God's Perfect Timing In Your Life

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you, righteous...

Waste Not, Want Not: How to Pour Your Life Out For What is Truly Valuable

“Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the...

Beware of the Mindless Scroll, and How to Behold What’s Beautiful

Dear Daughter, The device you hold in your hand is an amazing tool. Its manifold uses are yet untold. When contemplating all the possibilities we often say, “the sky’s the...

The Compassionate Heart of the Father for Lost People and Lost Spandex

Over the weekend, we turned the house upside down looking for Gracie’s blue spandex. She was in a volleyball tournament and part of her uniform had seemingly vanished off the...

The love of God would drain the oceans dry

This is the Love of God in 4-D and How it Changes Everything

The prison guard moved around the empty cell layering mint green paint over the graffiti-filled walls. It was part of his job. When one inmate died, and before the next one moved...

The Paradox of Parenting and How To Trust God More

Saturday night we got a phone call no parent wants to receive. Our daughter had just left our house to return to her college apartment. When we said our goodbyes, my mothering...

Shadows and Spirit: How to be a Creator Who Aims for Eternity

I’ll never forget the first time I visited St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. As a kid, I was glued to my TV as I watched what seemed like a modern-day fairy tale unfold as Lady...

What a year of blogging has taught me...

52 Surprising Lessons I’ve Learned from Blogging 52 Weeks In a Row

Last year I resolved to write on my blog every week for a year. It was an ambitious goal since I didn’t have a regular rhythm to my writing at that time. Now a year later, I do...

Your Life & Work Are a Masterpiece: How to Unlock Your Creativity

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 Michelangelo’s David is...

My Story: Finding God's Grace Sufficient in a Messy Relationship

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you..."2 Corinthians 12:9 The beam of sunlight poked through the slats in the blinds and landed on my face. In that hazy...

Make Your Resolutions Stick in 2022, Jonathan Edwards Style

Each January we feel the allure of a fresh start. It’s the same feeling I used to get with an unopened box of Crayolas. So many possibilities were inside that little box. I...

Top 10: Your Favorite Holy Leisure Posts of 2021

This year I dove headfirst into the deep end of the blogging pool. I committed to writing a post every week at the beginning of 2021. Some weeks I swam, others I felt like I was...

O Come Thou Dayspring & How to Walk in His Light

Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet...

Herod and the Cosmic Battle to Be the Ultimate Ruler

“When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” Matthew 2:3 When the Magi pulled into Jerusalem and asked questions about the newborn King...

Kingmakers in Search of the King of Kings

Wise Men Still Seek Jesus & How to Be Like Them

Behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship...

Good News of Great Joy That Will Change Your Life Forever

“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the...

Mary’s Magnificent God & 3 Ways to Praise Him This Thanksgiving

She was an unwed and soon-to-be pregnant teenager from the podunk town of Nazareth. By her own account, she was a real nobody. Yet, the angel Gabriel had news for her that would...

When Angels Aren't Enough to Make You Believe

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” Luke...

Why Caesar Augustus' Decree Should Strengthen Your Faith This Christmas

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.Luke 2:1 Caesar Augustus dipped his signet ring into the...

Wise Advice from a Best-Selling Author, and How to Write Amazing Content

A few weeks ago, my church hosted best-selling author and speaker, Jen Wilkin, for a women’s conference on gaining wisdom. I approached her after one of the sessions and asked...

A Biblical Template to Write Authentically About Your Faith

Based on a true story, the movie Freedom Writers is an inspirational story of a dedicated teacher, Erin Gruell, who taught English to inner-city kids during the time of the L.A....

The Best Makeover You’ll Ever See Will Be Your Own

I used to love the TLC show, What Not to Wear. It was a makeover show, where two fashion stylists, and their team of hair and makeup artists would totally transform an...

Why Creation and Words Frustrate Us, and 4 Ways to Start Writing

In the beginning was the Word..John 1:1 This week, my family and I went to Northern California and visited Point Lobos Natural Preserve. We walked along seaside cliffs...

The Beautiful Torture of Writing & Tattoos, & How to Overcome the Fear of Getting Started

I’ve never gotten a tattoo because I have commitment issues. How could I possibly find a design or a saying that I’d love for the rest of my life? I’ve thought about...

Two Fools on the Road to Emmaus & How to See Christ in the Old Testament

“Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”Luke 24:32 They had hoped Jesus would redeem Israel, and usher...

Courage, Dear Heart. Four Ways a Secret Follower of Jesus Changed the Course of History

Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action;...

When a Rebel Goes Free, and the Righteous Takes His Place

“Away with this Man and release to us Barabbas” - who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder. Luke...

Holy Leisure in Hard Places: Laura Sowers

The Gift of Receiving, One Woman's Journey from Certain Death to Life

Have you ever received a gift that changed your life? I mean a real long-term life-changer. Not a car—they eventually stop running. Not cash—it eventually runs out. Not a...

Five Easy Steps to Spiritual Ruin, and How Being Sifted Can Give You Hope

“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. And when you...

A Traitor's Kiss, How to Confront Betrayal as Jesus Did

“Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” Luke 22:48 The glow from the torches and lanterns snaked along the road from Antonia’s Fortress toward Jesus...

New Devotional Ebook: Paths of the Righteous

When I was in high school, I went on a ski retreat with my youth group. My friend Sarah had never skied before, and a very patient youth leader wanted to help teach her. After...

Hudson Taylor's Secret to Success was in "The Exchanged Life"

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” John 15:4 In the...

MAN OF SORROWS & 3-Ways to Experience Victory Over Temptation, Like Jesus Did

“Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Luke 22:40 Jesus was only a stone’s throw away from his three closest disciples, when he lay prostrate on the ground,...

Trust Your Unknown Future to a Known God

How Disrupted Plans Reveal the Care & Love of God

This article was originally posted on The Joyful Life Blog. Next week is our 2-year anniversary of living in Arizona. It seemed like an opportune time to recount our journey and...

AMAZING GRACE & 5 Eye-Opening Ways to See Your Need, Bartimaeus-Style

Son of David, have mercy on me!”Luke 18:39 Bartimaeus coughed as a thick cloud of dust kicked up around him as the crowd shuffled past. He was sitting at his usual corner,...

HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW & 11 Reasons You Are More Valuable Than They

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than...

What Jesus & Abraham Lincoln Teach Us About True Freedom

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to...

This is How to Get Your Prayers Answered, Sue God!

I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will arise and give him as many as he needeth....

10 Ordinary Things Extraordinary Fathers Do

In Praise of the Ordinary Fathers Making an Extraordinary Difference

Every morning, before our kids wake up, my husband Tim and I leash up the dogs and take a walk around the neighborhood. It’s a great way to connect before we start each...

One thing is necessary, are you marveling or missing it?

To Live a Purposeful Life, You Need Just One Thing

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.” Luke 10:41 A long time ago, before we had children, or Google maps, my...

Holy Leisure in Hard Places: Amber Thiessen

How to Abide When Serving God is Harder Than You Expected

It was a surreal moment when my foot finally landed on the dusty African soil. All my nine-year-old childhood dreams had finally been realized, as my husband and I were about...

Missional Friendship: Are You a Good Friend?

The adobe-like home was bursting at the seams. When word got out Jesus was nearby, the normally quiet neighborhood swelled with people who came to hear, and especially see, what...

Holy Leisure in Hard Places: Lauren Bowerman

How Wrestling with God Leads to Deepened Hope

“Don’t jinx it,” I say to myself, “Don’t get your hopes up. Don’t think about it too much. Don’t plan on it happening because then it inevitably won’t...

Casting your nets out in faith and trusting God for the increase

When Reeling In Empty Nets Means You’re Doing Everything Right

...he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."Luke 5:4 Peter and his brother Andrew were business partners and seasoned fishermen. Taking...

What I've Learned About the Seasons of Motherhood

I was driving west on Paseo del Norte, across the Rio Grande River when it happened. It was fall, and the Cottonwoods had just begun to turn. The crisp yellow foliage against the...

Redeem Your Family Time (+FREE Guide to Colossians)

“Hey Mom, when are we going to meet to discuss our Colossians study again?” The intensity of our schedules had recently experienced an uptick of activity. Kids sports,...

Holy Leisure in Hard Places: Karen Zanoni

How to Experience Unwavering Hope Even When Your Child is Suffering

This is the first in a series of posts called Holy Leisure in Hard Places. Trials and suffering can isolate us from others, and from God. The truth is, the Lord...

Crooked Straight Path Embracing Life's Interruptions

How to Love Others - By Being Interruptible

I love getting things done...maybe a bit too much. There's such satisfaction in checking off my tasks one by one. The one thing that disrupts my perfectly-planned...

How to Find Peace in the Midst of Your Storm

“Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:31 On March 18, 1990, two thieves disguised as police officers, broke into the Isabella Stewart...

Pray Hardest When It's Hardest to Pray

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. Mark 1:35 Jesus had spent an...

Happy Birthday to Me & 45 Lessons Learned

Today marks another beginning of another year for me. Now smack dab in my mid-forties, I'm seeing (and feeling) more the affects of time. But I'm also seeing some fruit of...

Holy Leisure is for Everyday People

This afternoon, I took a carload of very talkative teenage girls to volleyball practice. I was amazed at how little effort it took them to talk about anything and...

Prepare Your Heart and Make Him Room

I rushed into Target to grab some last minute things. I was in that danger zone of time where if I didn’t take any extra turns in the store, got through the checkout line...

A Call to Set Our Gaze Higher this Thanksgiving

It’s hard to believe it’s already Thanksgiving. In some ways this year has flown by, and in many other ways, it’s crept along at a snail’s pace. But here we are,...

Fighting for Joy in a Click-Bait World

Recently, I had a text convo with a friend that went something like this… Friend: How are you today? Me: I’m ok. Honestly, I’m trying not to freak out about our...

This Simple Practice Has Life-Changing Affects

Since my last post, the world has literally gone mad. I’ve struggled to make sense of the suffering, the anger, and the outrage. And in the process, I’ve asked myself...

God is most useful when we find him most beautiful

How Finding Beauty in the Everyday Helps Us Enjoy God

As new residents of Arizona, we recently made a trip to the Grand Canyon. It had been over ten years since we had last visited, and our youngest girls had never seen...