I asked 28 to surprise me, challenge me, and scare me and I spent many days of the past year asking myself why the heck did you do that? This past year absolutely scared me. I had days of feeling loneliness in such a deep and scary way. I also experienced the deep and beautiful feeling of community and family and the way we can love each other into wholeness. 28 definitely also challenged me and surprised me. I grew in ways I could not have foreseen, and have been pleasantly and not-so pleasantly surprised by the events of the year.
So to 28, I say “BOY BYEEE!” But really I will look back at you with gratitude for all the hard lessons and big growth. I will not look back for long because I am walking forward into new days, one day at a time — one step at a time. Walking forward with confidence in who God is, leaning fully on His consistent character, His overwhelming grace, and His perfect peace.
So 29, I promise to let you be exactly what you are supposed to be. As the last year of my twenties, it will be tempting to make you what I think you are supposed to be; to make things happen quickly, to figure things out, to get all my young adult ducks in a row. But I am going to take you one.dang.day at a time, letting life continue to surprise me, and maybe in that offering freedom to people coming behind me.
The eleven-year-old sixth grader got into the car, slammed the door shut, and sat in silence. I tried to make conversation but she clearly was not having any of it. In silence, we drove to pick up her two younger siblings from their school. When we all arrived back at their house, she ran up […]
“I left that conversation, and I knew exactly what I wanted for the rest of my life – for nothing and for everything. I thought, how unjealous I am of anyone on this planet. All I ever want for myself is the kingdom version of me, the exact thing he is making me.” This quote […]
The favorite question of my best friend is: “What are you learning?” So I’ve felt inspired to share that this week. Here is what I have been learning recently…
Because I just feel like God has put this call on my life to tell you, all of you, that following Him is worth it. That maybe He isn’t out to ruin your party life; I actually believe that the life He intends for each of us is the BEST possible option.
Here I am, arriving at another birthday. Twenty-five turned out to be the best year yet, and I am sad to say goodbye to it. But in the spirit of optimism, I’m out to make 26 even better.
One of my good friends titled it that: Summer of Dreams. We are at this fun place in our lives where we have some freedom, maybe a few extra dollars, hopes, goals and well, dreams. So we bought season passes to the theme park, we spent a weekend in Steamboat, and are doing our best […]
I spent this past week at home in my beautiful state of Oregon – we boated, kayaked, waterfalled (I think that can be a verb). We roasted s’mores in the backyard, waited in anticipation for the Butte to catch on fire from fireworks (it’s tradition), and ate a lot of watermelon. All in all, a […]
In the everyday living it is easy to make the Gospel about something less; we find ways to make it about qualification, rules, comparison, us verses them.
Sometimes I think though, at the end of the day, or especially at the end of life, it isn’t about those things. Which means it really never is about those things. The Gospel at the end of the day is about life.
this life's blessings 