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He Walked Among Us
Celebrating Advent Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent—a season that celebrates the arrival of Jesus Christ. It’s a time to pause, wrestle with the brokenness we experience, long for peace, and find hope in the God who came to save us. (This post was originally a letter from my Substack account.) This is my first year choosing to intentionally celebrate Advent as an adult and I’m loving it. The last Sunday of November I cut branches from various evergreens in my yard, fashioned a rough wreath shape, bought candles, and lit the first candle, the Candle of Hope, with my family. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Feeling the…
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We Are Not Okay
As I processed the news of yet another shooting last Friday, this time at the Navel Air Station in Pensacola, a simple thought began to settle in my mind. We. Are. Not. Okay. As a society, a culture, and a people, we are not okay. I don’t need to make a list for you, because you already know. But here is a short one anyway. Feel free to add to it. Increased violence across the board Increased mental illnesses, specifically depression and anxiety High levels of negative emotions such as anger and fear Mistrust of others and rampant divisiveness Broken families and relationships We could easily continue… We are isolated…
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Finding Hope this Christmas
The lights seemed to twinkle. I sat in the quiet morning the only one awake, staring at my Christmas tree. My Bible was in my lap and a cup of coffee in my hand. I should have been feeling peace and contentment, been delighting in this special season, right? Yeah, not so much. Instead, I was very aware of the wrongness in the world, and I felt depressed, dissatisfied, and hopeless. “Why, God? Why don’t you stop it? Why don’t you fix it? The world is so screwed up! When are you going to do something?” “Two thousand years ago” It always surprises me when the Holy Spirit actually…
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Finding Hope this Christmas
The lights seemed to twinkle. I sat in the quiet morning, the only one awake, staring at my Christmas tree. My Bible was in my lap; a cup of coffee in my hand. I should have been feeling peace and contentment, delighting in this special season, right? Yeah, not so much. Instead, I was very aware of the wrongness in the world, and I was feeling depressed, dissatisfied, and hopeless. “Why, God? Why don’t you stop it? Why don’t you fix it? The world is so screwed up! When are you going to do something?” “Two thousand years ago” It always surprises me when God actually answers me, not out…
