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6 Outdoor Hospitality Ideas for Autumn
There’s a single-file row of foxtail grass bending over the roadside like a line of school children dropping pennies off a bridge. Oddly enough, seeing them posed over the gravel gets me thinking about gathering with others and embracing autumn’s invitation for offering outdoor hospitality. It gets me thinking about standing with others to admire the season as it unfolds all around us. A few years ago, I wrote a series of posts on how to offer hospitality that changes lives (Check out the most popular post in this series here: 8 Surprising Ways to Extend Hospitality). The underlying message woven throughout these posts was this: Hospitality is the art…
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7 Bible Verses About Rushing Through Life
I sit in the woods on a warm autumn afternoon, and the golden canopy gazes down like God bottled up all the happiness in the world and imbibed it into the maples. Going to the woods is my way of stepping out of life’s hurried rhythms. Today, I open my Bible in search of Bible verses about rushing through life. Perhaps you need these words today as well. I invite you to soak in these truths as you ask God about the pace of your life. Also, be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook about slowing down as well as a library…
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7 Ways to Connect With God and Refresh Your Spirit
Do you want a deeper or stronger relationship with God? You are in the right place. Today, we’ll explore 7 ways to connect with God in fresh ways. I invite you to join me as I gaze at the autumn tree line, and we’ll talk about how to draw near to God in refreshing ways. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you connect with God. 7 Ways to Connect With God and Refresh Your Spirit The maples are splashed vermilion, and mist rises ashen from the valley. I take it all in from my morning watch by the window,…
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What Are the Blessings of God?
After praying together as a family, our son recently asked, “Mom, what are the blessings of God? You’re always asking God to bless us, but what does that mean?’ I told him that God’s blessings include peace, protection, comfort, joy, and more. As I reflected, I told him that everything good in our lives is a blessing from God. God’s blessings include family, friends, our home, summer sunrises, wildflowers, and more. Since that day, I’ve been more mindful of paying attention to God’s many blessings. If you’d like to cultivate a greater awareness of God’s blessings, you are in the right place today. Today, we’ll explore the question, “What are…
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How to Find Rest in God: A Review of Kelly Balarie’s New Book
It comes to me as I bend over the sink, tomato juice spattered on the windowpane, a heavy crate of big pinks ripening beside me on the countertop. It’s a subtle impression upon the innermost part of me, and it goes something like this: Don’t hurry through these tasks. These tasks are gifts, and divinity is threaded throughout them. Slow down, inhale slowly, and find rest in God while you do his work. Find Rest in God It’s the season of harvest here, which means there is much to do. There are vegetables to tend to, transitions to navigate, and articles to write. If I’m not careful, I can get…
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When God Closes a Door, Ask Yourself This Question
I sit with a friend and admire the daylilies as they bow low beneath the afternoon sun. I’ve just told her about a recent disappointment, and my heart is heavy. I thought God was leading one way, but the door slammed shut in my face. When God closes a door, it can be hard to know where to turn next. I’m pondering my situation when my friend asks a hard question: “Is there a chance you’re trying to turn stones into bread?” She then shares what she’s been learning about turning stones into bread: Before Jesus began his public ministry, the Holy Spirit called him into the wilderness. Here, Satan…
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How to Lean on God for Strength When You’re Ready to Give up
I wrote this post a while back, at a time when I was ready to give up on the calling of the season. Looking back, I’m glad I kept going. Here are a few words of encouragement if you need to lean on God for strength in a hard season. How to Lean on God for Strength A chartreuse glow rises from the wood line, and I’m ready to throw in the towel and call this season over. I’m ready to give up, check out, and get on with the next thing. I sincerely believed this would be easier by now. I believed I’d have more energy, more normalcy, and…
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How to Be a Woman of Gentle Strength
Our little boy turned six last week, and he’s been asking me to spend the first moments of the day lying in his bed as we discuss kindergarten. I’ve been learning to live with a gentle strength that puts his needs above my desires. For this reason, I set aside my coffee every morning and follow him up the stairs. We lie in his bed and talk about raising his hand in class, responsibility, and why he should take his coat off when it’s 80 degrees in his classroom. Important things. I’ve been thinking about living a more grace-filled life lately, and I know pursuing this kind of life means…
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3 Unconventional Ways to Worship God While You Work
You are completely exhausted as you drive home after a long day of living out your calling. You know there are four loads of laundry waiting to be folded. The floors are filthy, and dinner waits to be cooked. You’d give just about anything to lie on the couch in front of the TV instead of diving into the work. The last thing on your mind is construing ways to worship God in the middle of your work. Perhaps the idea of worshiping while you work feels like a pursuit reserved for women who don’t have full schedules – or kids. I feel you. I see you. I’m standing with…
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How to Have More Motherhood Joy in Challenging Seasons
A quiet undercurrent has been calling me into its flow throughout the past season. It’s a gentle voice that whispers, “Let these struggles of motherhood soften you. Lean into the transformation. In doing so, you will cultivate a deeper sense of motherhood joy.” Cultivating Motherhood Joy It is a gentle call to let these uncertain times chisel my rough edges, to learn to be a woman with less grit and more grace. Granted, throughout most of my life, my grit has served me well. My grit is my tenacity, my determination, my commitment to stay the course on the most rugged trails—my eyes fixed on the horizon, zeal goading me…
