John Piper once said, “Books don’t change people; paragraphs do, sometimes even sentences.” This has certainly proven true in my life. Outside of Scripture, I can list a handful of books that have shaped me, but there’s only one book where a few sentences changed my life. I’ve written about it before, but when my eyes first landed on the phrase, ‘holy leisure,’ it arrested me. I read and reread these sentences and tried to understand what they meant. Here’s where the fireworks went off…
“The church Fathers often spoke of Otium Sanctum, ‘holy leisure.’ It refers to a sense of balance in life, an ability to be at peace through the activities of the day, an ability to rest and take time to enjoy beauty, and an ability to pace ourselves.” Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline
I doubt Foster had any idea those two sentences would send anyone on a career-shifting journey—but they did. I read them at a time when, as a busy mom, I lacked the kind of fill-up-your-soul kind of rest the quote described. And I longed to experience ‘holy’ leisure in the only place that would fill my soul—God’s Word. For most of my life, I struggled to read my Bible consistently. It felt like a discipline in the most un-fun way—a duty more than a delight. When I changed my mindset from having a quiet time to pursuing holy leisure, it changed everything. God’s Word became a place of leisure and rest, and it truly came alive for me for the first time.
I started waking up earlier (because I wanted to, not because I had to) and began journaling and learning more about God’s Word. It also stirred in my heart a desire to write. This website has been my sandbox for the last five years to explore this idea of holy leisure. I’ve learned that leisure isn’t an excuse to do nothing but a full-hearted pursuit of all that is good, true, and beautiful.
Like many of you, I’ve been reflecting on the last year as we turn the page to 2025. I’m grateful for all of you who’ve joined me in this pursuit of holy leisure. Numbers aren’t everything, but they do tell a story. In this case, the number of clicks each article received tells a story of what content resonated with you this year. Here are my most popular posts of 2024.
Top Posts of 2024
10. What is Man That You Are Mindful of Him
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” Psalm 8:3-4
Looking into the heavens should be a humbling exercise. Our lives and problems shrink to size when we consider God’s majesty, power, and strength in his creation. But as mind-boggling as the universe is, God’s strength is also displayed in a baby’s coo. How can this be? Consider the glorious tension of being small and insignificant and, at the same time, eternally significant to God. He is mindful of you, and he cares for you! That’s what Psalm 8 teaches.
9. The Shadow of Christmas Seen in the Order of Melchizedek
My family and I love to look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. We drive around town and ooh and ahh at the beautiful displays. But why don’t we look at the lights during the day?
Because we need the darkness to appreciate the light, the same is true when we consider the light that Christmas brings into the world. Jesus’ birth is the blazing center of our celebrations. We rejoice that the light of the world was born in a humble stable. But on the backside of the light are shadows that point us to aspects of our Savior’s birth that we wouldn’t otherwise see.
Psalm 110 foreshadows in David and Melchizedek the kingly and priestly roles Christ fulfilled.
8. The Living Stone Still Offends
Christians worldwide were rightly offended after the Olympic’s opening ceremonies in 2024. Blasphemous is not too strong a word to describe what took place. While you’ve probably heard and read much about it already, I think we’ve overlooked one thing: the offense that triggered the offense, Jesus himself. The Old Testament foretold that the Messiah would be a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense, and the cornerstone the builders rejected—and he’s still offending and being rejected today. How offensive is Jesus? Offensive enough to continue to draw the world’s ire and hatred.
7. Jesus is Our Living Hope
“Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.”That quote is from the movie Shawshank Redemption when Red tells Andy to be careful about thinking too much about ever getting out of prison. Too much hope, without solid evidence, could drive a man insane. But Christian hope is different from the world’s hope.
For Christians, our hope is not based on wishful thinking or warm feelings. We call our hope a living hope because it’s founded upon a resurrected Savior.
Our living hope assures us that in our trials, God has not left us but is at work preparing us for our eternal inheritance. This hope does the opposite of driving us insane. It causes us to rejoice, endure, and love him more. As Peter would say, “Dear elect exiles, where are you placing your hope?” You’ll never be ashamed of placing your hope in your living Savior.
6. “Jesus is Lord” The Rallying Cry of the Ages
When Patrick Henry gave his famous “Liberty or Death” speech, he prefaced it by saying, “Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense?” He concluded that to do so would make him treasonous to his country and disloyal to God. Sometimes, sharing our opinions about hot-button issues will cost us more than a few friends. During the last year’s contentious election season, we heard a lot of rhetoric about liberty, life, and death. In many ways, we’re still debating the same issues Henry did, just in reverse.
5. Your Identity and What It Means to Be Crucified with Christ
Do you ever wonder what Paul meant in Galatians 2:20 when he said, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”? Christ’s death and resurrection accomplished more than we can ever imagine, not the least of which is our union with him forever. That old rugged cross tells us who we are and whose we are. Discover your true identity when you consider Galatians 2:20.
4. How to Arm Yourself with the Mind of Christ
The apostle Peter told his first-century readers, suffering terrible persecution, to follow Jesus’ example in suffering. As Jesus suffered, died, and rose from the grave victorious, we will join him in glory and someday cease sinning. What a glorious day that will be!
But to enjoy that victory, we have to think like Jesus. Peter said we’re to “arm ourselves with the same way of thinking” (1 Peter 4:1). What does that practically look like? How can we think like Jesus regarding the trials we face? I think it starts with a mindset shift.
For me, it all started the day I had to “graduate” from a childbirth class…
3. The Living and Abiding Word of God
The grass withers and flowers fade, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.
Every day, we’re reminded that life is fragile and lasts only a little while, but one thing lasts forever—God’s Word. In 1 Peter, we’re reminded that God’s Word is like a seed that lives forever and produces new life. This truth informs how we share the gospel and wait in faith. So keep sowing, watering, and trusting that the living and abiding Word of God will always accomplish its intended work.
2. How to Set Your Hope Fully on the Grace
Hope fully, not hopefully…
When we think of fighting spiritual battles, we probably think of putting on the armor of God. But often, the battle is won or lost before we’ve suited up because we’re not thinking about it properly. No matter what trials you’re enduring, you need to fully set your hope on the grace coming your way. There’s no uncertainty about what’s ahead. It’s not a hopefully it will all work out—it’s a reordering of your thinking to hope fully.
1. How to Talk to Your Teens About Taylor Swift’s New Album
Once upon a time, I could enjoy listening to Taylor Swift with my kids. This article explores what that transition has looked like in our home, but more importantly, how to use the latest Taylor Swift album (because there will be others) to teach our teens to listen to music with biblical discernment.
Top 20 Verses Posts of 2024
Top 20 Verses posts are written to provide quick overviews of topics related to Christian life. They are not exhaustive but are written to whet your appetite for deeper study.
10. Hope in Hard Times
9. God’s Provision
8. Overcoming Procrastination
7. Putting Others First
6. Thanking God in Hard Times
5. Spending Time with God
4. Revival and Spiritual Awakening
3. God Answering Prayers
2. Bearing Fruit
1. Intimacy with God
Top YouVersion Plans in 2024
Did you know the YouVersion Bible App has over 750+ million downloads worldwide? It’s an incredible platform with a reach that’s hard to quantify. I was delighted to learn that an older plan of mine, “Every Longing Heart,” published in 2021, has been translated into 35 languages! I had nothing to do with the translation effort, and isn’t that like God? He takes what little offerings we can give and multiplies them exceedingly abundantly. All praise to him!
If you enjoy the YouVersion app, here are the three plans I released this year.
And Such Were Some of You
As Jesus made his way to Calvary, he met all kinds of people. Their reactions to him revealed what they believed, and the same is true today. Consider your own life in light of the Passionate Denier, the Pardoned Insurrectionist, the Convinced Centurion, and many more. Some people changed for the better, and some for the worse. When we encounter Jesus, like them, we will never be the same.
The Living Word
First Peter was written to early Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor. Peter called his beloved readers “elect exiles” because they suffered for their faith and longed for their heavenly home. Desiring to encourage them to live victoriously while trusting the Lord, he identified three living things they had in their sojourning. You also have these things, Christian: a living hope, the living Word, and the living stone–Jesus Christ himself.
Angels We Have Heard on High
This five-day plan explores various angelic encounters that announced the arrival of the Messiah. We’ll consider Zechariah’s doubt, Mary’s humility, Joseph’s obedience, and the shepherds’ exuberance. Angels should not be worshiped, but they model true worship when they sing, “Glory to God in the highest!” This Christmas, marvel with the angels at the Savior born in the city of David, who is Christ the Lord.
Past Top 10 Lists
If you’re interested, here are the Top 10 lists for the last three years.
Pursuing More Holy Leisure with You in 2025
Has your life ever been changed by a paragraph or a sentence? Words are crazy like that. Isn’t it amazing that God uses sentences and paragraphs to change hearts, minds, and eternal destinies? For Christians, the most life-changing words are found in God’s Word. When we enjoy spending time in his presence, feasting on his Word, we discover the rest and leisure our souls long for. By God’s grace, I hope to continue providing more words, sentences, and paragraphs that will lead you to more holy leisure in 2025.
Thank you for joining me in this pursuit!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Cara
P.S. If you’re curious about learning about holy leisure, check out this free resource below.
