“Grace is for the desperate, the needy, the broken, those who cannot make it on their own. Grace is for all of us.”- Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew
I’m reading a book called, The Jesus I Never Knew, by Philip Yancey, and in it, he tells the stories of two famous Russian novelists, Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Yancey explains how these two men helped him better understand what Jesus was saying when he preached the Sermon on the Mount. I highly recommend Yancey’s book, and encourage anyone to read it for themselves, but I will give you a brief synopsis, because I’m excited to share what I’m learning about Grace and who God is. This is good stuff!
Read more“True smallness is an invitation to live as I was meant to live, to accept my humanity, and to offer my ability and my inability, my sin and my success, my messes and my masterpieces into the hands of God.”- Emily P. Freeman, Simply Tuesday
Simply Tuesday, is a book that invites the reader to embrace the ordinary, to exhale, and to recognize that the kingdom work of God is accomplished in the small moments of everyday life.
Read moreJen Hatmaker’s new book, For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards, releases today! I’m so excited to finally tell you more about this new book. I got to read an advance copy months ago, but I’ve kept (mostly) quiet, knowing that wouldn’t be very nice to tell you all about a book that wasn’t available yet. This is a book that you definitely will want to read.
Read moreThe book, Simplicity Parenting, by Kim John Payne, is a great resource. It has influenced my parenting choices over the years. A main idea of the book is to question whether we are building our families on the four pillars of “too much”: too much stuff, too many choices, too much information, and too fast
Read moreChildren need to see the world as a good and safe place. This statement has always been a cornerstone of my parenting philosophy. Since my husband and I brought home our first baby, over sixteen years ago, this belief has shaped our actions and has acted as a filter. Mistakes aplenty have been made, but this is something I believe we got right.
Sadly, the world isn’t always a good and safe place. I know that, and so do my kids, but their exposure to the news and to adult problems was delayed and gradual. Thankfully, as kids mature, and a parent’s ability to control information declines, kid’s coping mechanisms also increase- particularly with loving guidance and Biblical teaching in the ways of God.
Read moreI found this writing prompt on Holly's blog and thought that the first question, in particular, would be a good way to share the mission and purpose of this blog. The other questions were good, too, so I went ahead and answered them.
Why Do I Write What I Write?
I want my writing to encourage people to let go of worry, and to trust in God and his amazing grace.
Read moreThe point is not to find a place for God in our story but to receive the good news that God has found a place for us in His- Michael Horton.
It’s a shift in thinking that makes all the difference. Who is the story about? The gospel, which encompasses the stories of creation, the fall, redemption, and renewal, is God’s story, and we are invited into it. As Christians, we must approach our life, the world, God, and others through this lens. When we turn it around, trying to find a place for God in our story, we’re missing the point. When we make God’s story about us, we have religion.
Read moreAn unfailing trust in the wisdom of God acknowledges that our existence, our history, every part of how God made us is used for his glory and good.
Have you ever heard the story of The Cracked Pot? I'm writing about how if relates to trusting in the wisdom of God and how he made us over at Pressing in and Pressing On. Please, click here to go read!
Read moreOnce again, it's time for "What I Learned", a link-up with Emily @ Chatting at the Sky, where we look back on the past month and share the little treasures we gathered along the way. Sometimes silly, always fun. If you want to join in, link up here.
1. I'm learning an old truth, in a new language, and gaining a tighter grip on what it means to trust God with all my heart, to live small. This seems to be a lifelong lesson for me, for many of us. The metaphors of Tuesdays, cities and benches, stairwells and stages, which Emily uses in her new book, Simply Tuesday, offered a fresh perspective I needed, at just the right time.
Read more
