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3 Helpful Ways to Acknowledge the War in Your Soul
The church service had just started and my three year old daughter was already causing problems. She wouldn’t be still or quiet and her eyes begged me to hold her during each song. I could tell the whining was about to start when she scrunched up her face at my refusal of the gum she requested, and by the…
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12 Things I Learned this Winter
Winter is coming to an end, just as it does every year, and I find myself stepping a little bit lighter and feeling energized by the fresh air, the warm sunshine and the hope that’s springing up from the ground. It’s time for another round up of What We Learned with Emily. In no particular order, here are…
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For Your Weekend
My favorite tree in our yard is about to burst into pink blooms and I keep walking outside to check on its progress. It’s also that time in winter when I start to feel kind of antsy for Spring, but also still somewhat hoping for another snow day. Just another one of the tensions of this life, and I’m…
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What to believe when you feel like there’s nothing left to give
We didn’t register for a lot of fancy things when we got married. I picked out a china pattern and some flatware, but we didn’t place crystal, silver pieces, or cut glass on our registry. However, I married a man from the South and one of the sweet ladies from the church where he grew up gave us a…
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Weekend Links for Your Soul
As we begin this weekend, I’m thinking on these words from Emily in her book, Simply Tuesday: Small-Moment Living in a Fast-Moving World: What gives moments meaning is not the moments themselves but the presence of Christ with us in the midst of them. May your moments hold the right kind of meaning this weekend. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++…
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When your soul feels dry and empty
I used to picture deserts as endless rolling hills of sand. Hot, dry, the blazing sun, no people or cities in sight, maybe a camel or two ambling along. My visions had been shaped by movies, I’m sure, and there was an almost romantic feeling to it. Then I moved to the Middle East and experienced the desert. Yes, those…
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For Your Weekend
May you remember that the power of Christ is made perfect in your weakness, May you be reminded that your life has a purpose because you are made in the image of God and created by him to do good works. May the work of the Holy Spirit in your life to convict, instruct, remind and enable be a…
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When you feel like the noise of the world has affected your soul
Two years ago this week we closed on our home here in Norfolk. I loved the house we had found with its quirky layout, huge front porch and large mudroom, but I didn’t want to live here. We had been hoping for an assignment in Hawaii or San Diego, but that didn’t pan out so we found ourselves setting…
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Weekend Links to Encourage your Everyday Life
May your weekend be filled with regular moments that remind you to celebrate the ordinary and embrace the gift of Jesus in your everyday life. I Returned My Instant Pot and I’m Not Even Sad About It — Mary Carver The Everyday Mundane and the Favor It’s Doing Us — Amanda Bacon, for the Masterpiece Mom…
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From the Bookshelf: 18 Books on Parenting
“What kinds of books do you read, Lauren?” We were sitting in the living room of a group of people from church and everyone was going around sharing the latest book they had read. Books were being rattled off that I had never heard of but everyone else was not only familiar with them, but had either read them or knew…
