Spiritual Blessings

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3 I don’t know what this verse means. Not fully. I wonder where the heavenly realms are. And I long to understand more of the spiritual blessings. But […]

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Goal Setting and the Spirit

I’m sitting at Starbucks. A gift of time from my in-laws. I have my journal and plans and goals. As I flip through my journal, an entry from a few weeks ago jumps out. Just one verse written in letters large enough to fill the page: “After beginning with the Spirit are you now trying […]

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OneWord 2014- Uncover

  “…(she) introduced me to a shadow of my true self, touched something in me that was there but sleeping. That’s what artists do. They pull back the covering on our inner life, allowing us to see things beneath the surface, things that, without their compassion, creativity and generosity, we may have missed.” – Emily […]

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Reset- All I wanted was a shower (a favorite from 2013)

{Only one day left in 2013. I thought I would end the year with a couple of my favorite posts. Not necessarily the ones that had the most reads. Nope. Simply the ones that made my heart beat the strongest as I wrote the words. One yesterday. One today. This one was written in June. […]

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We will paint them blue (a favorite from 2013)

{Only two days left in 2013. I thought I would end the year with a couple of my favorite posts. Not necessarily the ones that had the most reads. Nope. Simply the ones that made my heart beat the strongest as I wrote the words. One today. One tomorrow. This one was written in April.} […]

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Even In The Dark, He Sees Me

Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?     to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you’re there!     If I go underground, you’re there! If I flew on morning’s wings     to the far western horizon, You’d find me in a minute—     you’re already there waiting! Then I said to […]

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If Only….

The first day of Advent, I wrote these words: Go. Whisper the trees. They are my ally on this walk in the woods. Sometimes December 1st seems like the start of a race towards Christmas. Towards accomplishing. Towards balancing a hundred tasks. But when I walk in the woods, my goal becomes noticing. “Go slowly. […]

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Light {Advent Day 25}

Light over darkness. No matter how dark. No matter how enveloping. His light overcomes. Evil gasps for breath. Knowing its end is near. His light shining so brightly today. On this day we remember as his birth. Father may I hold on to that light. That hope. On all the days to come. Knowing it […]

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Joy {Advent Day 24}

Candlelight service. Christmas pajamas. Lego building. Shadows of joy.

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Our Hospital Christmas

We sit at our well-worn dining room table. In our cozy house with a tin roof. Friends often said it felt like a retreat house. It rang true to my soul; the rhythm of a Seattle rain could lull and calm even the most distracted hearts. This December night, the sounds of the gentle rain […]

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Neighbor {Advent Day 23}

These are our neighbors. Well, actually these are snowmen….our neighbors made them. We have the kind of neighbors you can call when you are running late and say, “Could you get Sam off the bus?” The kind of neighbors who bring over pumpkin bread. Who we stand in the street with and talk about parenting […]

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Sign {Advent Day 22}

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 Immanuel God with us. God with us. God with us. I need to say it. Write it. Several times. To hear the impact. To feel the weight. God with us.

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