faith
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Honoring autumn trees and the ones who wait for them.
The most endearing thing he’s ever called me is autumn embodied. Fill my cup with all the pumpkin drinks and wrap me up in a cozy blanket next to a bonfire. A very real part of me believes that heaven is October eternal. Marriage is loving the season with him, and being his autumn embodied. …
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Answering fear with two small words.
Choosing to stay is a big deal. I didn’t want to stay in Nashville, and I certainly didn’t plan to still be here at 26. In a world of wide possibility, I used to think that choosing to stay close to home was for the weaklings. The only people who stayed close to home must…
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We’re capable of choosing a better legacy.
I was in first grade on September 11, 2001. Mom picked us up from school and we sat in granny’s living room, flipping back and forth between the different news stations. Of all the details, apart from the scene of the falling towers and rubble below, I most remember how sunny and beautiful it was…
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Lean into what you love.
A display of blue, soft white, and glowing orange colored the sky above us. Hundreds of people milled about, a soft June humming giving life to the world around us. We threw our blankets down and took a seat. She’d arrived without her shoes, and I kicked mine off too. On the far side of…
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Forgiveness heals your (and your neighbor’s) heart.
The bad news is not everyone who hurts you will apologize. Some might not even know they’ve hurt you. They might not realize how the word they spoke or the look they cast on you made your belly drop. Others might know they’ve hurt you, but don’t care to make it right. Others might blame…
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Lord, help her to see that Your idea of success and hers might look different.
Rejection, on some day and in some way, is going to face you. Don’t worry, it happens to us all. I want you to know now, before that times hits, that your work may be rejected but you are not. In June I committed to submitting a piece to be considered for a women’s devotional,…
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How are you waiting for Jesus to arrive?
The leaves have danced off the trees and the turkey is cold again; in its place comes the Christmas season. Here comes a herald of holly and gift wrap, of warm greetings and jingle bells. On our drive beneath the Tennessee sunset on our way to a small Thanksgiving dinner a couple days ago, advent…
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Church, even if you lose, you’re still on the winning side.
Tuesday is coming. Americans sprawled from the east to the west coasts will watch as ballots are counted. State by state, county by county, polling location by polling location, one by one. I imagine there will be an array of feelings sweep across the nation as the numbers inch higher and higher. Some will celebrate…
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Only Jesus can uplift us from across a room, encouraging and teaching us without a word.
The church is meeting again, but the sanctuary feels more empty now. Our chairs are carefully measured 6 feet away from the next family’s, and we’re told to leave the room quickly after service ends so the room can be properly sanitized before the next service. It’s different from the church I’m used to –…