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He Prunes Us Because He Loves Us
When the summer heat peaked, my hydrangea bushes started to bloom again. I couldn’t believe their ability to keep going when it felt unbearable to be outside and you could hear the grass crunch under your feet. What was happening? We trimmed the new blooms, gathered them in a vase, and enjoyed the unexpected beauty. I’ve joked before that my…
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Looking to What is Unseen
During one of our last summer days at the beach, I sat in my chair on the sand, sipping my coffee and watching the kids play in the water. Our typical sunny morning at the bay was overcast and slightly cooler than normal, but the water was teeming with wildlife. Inches from the kids’ heads, schools of tiny fish were…
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On Spiritual Growth & Cravings
Five years ago, we planted a garden in the back corner of our yard; it barely survived. Our tomato plants were the skimpiest, sorriest ones I had ever seen. Cucumbers rotted before they were fully ripe, and the beans, well they didn’t stand a chance against my neglect. Tucked away behind the garage, the raised beds were somewhat “out of…
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3 Helpful Guides When You Don’t Know What to Pray
She squeezes her eyes shut, folds her hands, and then ever so slowly lifts up her head, reopens her eyes, and locks her gaze on his face. She sits quietly, waiting for him to speak. “Dear God,” he begins. She echoes. “Thank you for my cheese.” She repeats. “Thank you for goldfish.” Again she mimics his words. He continues to…
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Let’s Tell Stories About Our Souls
I’ve been thinking lately about the stories we’ll tell when this is over. I imagine us cozied up around fire pits, gathered around dining room tables, and lingering over church pews. I imagine front porches lit up late into the night while the kids catch fireflies in the yard. I imagine we’ll squeeze as many people into our schedules as…
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When The Coronavirus Affects Your Marriage: Remember, Embrace, & Endure
I remember screaming in the kitchen, storming down the hall to our bedroom, and slamming the door behind me. We were newlyweds, new homeowners, and had decided to work remotely from home. Bradley wanted to work late at night, using daytime for Home Depot runs and house projects. I wanted to work normal business hours. We argued a lot. Sometimes…
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An Unexpected Gift for the Church in the Midst of COVID-19
I printed out bulletins and had the older girls set up children’s church in the dining room. We gathered in the den—some still in pj’s, Bradley with a cup of coffee, and the kids in bean bags on the floor. The sound coming through the TV was terrible, but we stuck with it, grumbling to one another to be quiet…
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What We Reach for Reveals our Hearts
In need of a little sunshine, and in an effort to rid our home of sweets after the holidays, I placed a basket of our favorite citrus on the dining room table. I gave the kids permission to eat them whenever they wanted, and eat them they did. We ate twenty pounds of clementines in January. Finished all your spaghetti? …
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Marriage Was Never Supposed to Fill the Empty Spaces
If you had asked me before my wedding if I thought marriage would meet all my emotional needs, I would have shaken my head no and spouted off all the right answers about who had my heart, who met my needs, and where to run when I was sad. Jesus is my all. I know I would have said this. …
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The Only Hope for an Aching Soul
It’s 2008 and I’m driving the bright blue PT cruiser they gave me at the rental desk. I’m on the outskirts of Chicago, where I’ve just spent a long weekend celebrating Thanksgiving with Bradley. I dropped him off at the barracks of the Great Lakes Naval base; they don’t let wives in to their bachelor quarters. I’ll head back to…
