GraceLaced by Ruth Chou Simons

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Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. (And then I went and bought a bunch of copies to give away to my friends and family.)     A few years ago, I came across some beautiful artwork that wove Scripture verses with watercolor in a way that brought the words to living color. It was breathtaking and I couldn't wait to see more of this artist's work and to share her prints with my friends. The artist is Ruth Chou Simons and she has been sharing her art through her blog and online shoppe GraceLaced … [Read more...]

How to Find Joy for an Action-Packed Family

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  If your family is anything like ours, you’ve probably spent your summer juggling toddler nap times, summer camp, family vacations, play dates, and many requests for popsicles. It’s mid-summer as I sit writing this, and my kids are enjoying 90 degrees and fun in the sprinkler. But even as the sun shines down on us, our future fall schedules loom large, and I can already sense the many pressures that September is going to bring. Speaking honestly, I could probably schedule our lives down to the hour, and I have done that at times, just to manage moving … [Read more...]

I Belong to Jesus. So Does My Social Media.

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  A few months ago, I sat in front of my laptop deep in thought, my cursor hovering over the word “unfriend”.   Right then, I unexpectedly visualized the last person I knew of who had “unfriended” me.   I had been unfriended before but this time was different.   This time, the person was a beloved and respected friend, someone who played an impactful role in my life and my husband’s.   Instead of talking to us personally about an issue, this person chose to abruptly end all contact. It’s been about a year, and though … [Read more...]

Open Hands, Eager Forgiveness

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  I read C.S. Lewis’s excellent book The Great Divorce for the second time a few years ago, and found myself impacted significantly more than the first time I had read it in my late teens. Then, within a year of that second reading, two of my friends went to be with the Lord.   There were two parts of The Great Divorce that have stuck with me, and they both involved forgiveness. The first is the scene where the Big Ghost is horrified to discover that a murderer has been forgiven by the Lord and is also in heaven. Later, in Chapter 10, another ghost … [Read more...]

Cultivating Discretion

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  I recently had an experience where a friend texted me and said "I will never be able to give you the details of the situation but I'm very worried about _______ and I'm asking you to pray." She later texted me to let me know that everything was going to be OK. 15 years ago, I might have persistently asked probing questions like "what is going on? Or, "Can you tell me now?" Now, however, I would like to hope I have grown more in the area of discretion so that not knowing the answers to every question or all the details about a situation is not going to be a … [Read more...]