Photo by Daria Obymaha on Pexels.com Devotion from guest blogger Anna Morgan: She pressed her back against the rough stone wall, the coolness soaking through her peplos, the long robes that reached to her feet. Her heart hammered in her chest and the roaring of her nerves in her ears almost drowned out the cries … Continue reading Daughter: A Devotion
faith
Finding the Funny, Even in Funerals
“A few years ago, when my dad was still sick and this preacher came to pray with us at the hospital, he thanked God that our family was able to deal with hard situations with joy,” I said. “I remember thinking it was funny that he saw it that way because I’d never thought of … Continue reading Finding the Funny, Even in Funerals
Sitting in the Dark: A Devotion
I’ve been trying to branch out and read more non-fiction lately. In addition to the humor writings of Tina Fey and David Sedaris, and all the Joan Didion I can get my hands on (decidedly not humor writing), I’ve been reading the work of a lot of Christian essayists— Jen Hatmaker, Rachel Held Evans, Shauna … Continue reading Sitting in the Dark: A Devotion
Sanctuary
When my anxiety gets out of control, or my mind is racing too much to concentrate on reading books, my default coping mechanism is binge-watching Gilmore Girls. I think it’s comforting to me because it’s the show I watched with my mom growing up, and we always sort of pictured our relationship as similar to … Continue reading Sanctuary
Longing for Egypt
My mom used to love this song by Building 429, “Where I Belong.” One of the last videos we have of her leading worship at church was her singing that song. Helen Keller used to sing it on the praise team all the time, and Mom loved it. It’s about not fitting anywhere. It’s about … Continue reading Longing for Egypt
Inside Storms, Outside Storms: A Devotion
Verses: Mark 4:35-41 “Am I ever going to fit anywhere? Does the perfect place for me even exist?” These are questions that go through my mind more often than I can count. I think I am constantly a “square peg in a round hole”, as my preacher used to say. I’ve only really felt like … Continue reading Inside Storms, Outside Storms: A Devotion
2021, Henri Nouwen’s Prayer, and God With Us
On Christmas Eve, I read the most perfect thing. It was a daily meditation from a collection of Henri Nouwen’s writings, You Are the Beloved. It was called, “A Prayer.” I’m gonna be honest— in devotion books and daily readings I usually skip over the holidays because I expect them to be so cliche. Like … Continue reading 2021, Henri Nouwen’s Prayer, and God With Us
A Resurrection Story
I’m a little bit of a hoarder. It’s not that I enjoy clutter, or that I want my house to be so crammed full of stuff that you have to turn sideways to walk the hall, or call the fire department for a rescue mission to get out of the bathroom, but I find comfort … Continue reading A Resurrection Story
Devotion: Atticus and Demons
I love Atticus. I discovered my first collection of Atticus poetry a couple of years ago at Target, and immediately ordered the other two collections. The poems aren’t long, most of them are just a few lines, but they are profound. In just a couple of sentences, he captures a depth of emotion that I … Continue reading Devotion: Atticus and Demons
Just Do the Next Thing
In January, while I was on a little New Year’s weekend getaway with Other Half, I read a book that, in retrospect, I needed to read but maybe wish I hadn’t read it. The book was “Right People, Right Place, Right Time” by Jentezen Franklin. It’s about figuring out who you are, where you’re supposed … Continue reading Just Do the Next Thing