Want Advent emails delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here! Readings: Psalm 13 Throughout this season, many of us focus on joy. Christmas’s excitement and expectation cause our hearts to beat faster, and the anticipation starts our adrenaline pumping. But I know Christmas time isn’t that way for everyone. For many, this season is …
Want Advent emails delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here! Readings: Matthew 1:1-17 + Luke 3:21-38 + Galatians 4:1-7 It’s the spring of 2015. My not-yet-husband and I have met for our second date, choosing a city halfway between the two of us. As we’re driving around an unfamiliar city, we explore a subdivision …
Want Advent emails delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here! Readings: 1 Samuel 16 + Psalm 142 We all go through periods of waiting. It’s inevitable. But how we wait can make a big difference. Often, I think of periods of waiting in my life like a doctor’s office waiting room. I sign in, pick up a …
Want Advent emails delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here! Readings: Isaiah 9:1-7 + Isaiah 11:1-9 Has God ever given you a vision for your future? Husband was in the military before we met. When we were dating, we discussed what a life together might look like. We knew marriage would mean a shift for me, turning …
Want Advent emails delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here! Readings: Exodus 16 + Deuteronomy 8:10-18 + John 6:25-51 Likely, many of you have heard the story of God providing the Israelites with manna in the desert. The Israelites hadn’t been out of Egypt very long; only a month had passed since their departure (Ex 12:18, 16:1). The people, watching …
Want Advent emails delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here! Readings: Exodus 3:1-17 + Exodus 4:1-17 Sometimes, you sit down to write something for someone else, and you end up speaking to yourself. Today’s story is that for me. Maybe you need to hear this too. Last week, Husband and I were troubleshooting our move, scheduled for …
Want Advent emails delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here! Readings: Genesis 12:1-9 + Genesis 15 + Genesis 18:1-15 + Genesis 21:1-7 With much of his story recorded in the book of Genesis, we get a front-row seat to Abraham’s life. Abraham’s story is rich in lessons on faith and obedience. But after waiting twenty-five years for the birth of Isaac, …
Want Advent emails delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here! Readings: Psalm 34 Advent is a season of waiting. It’s a time to anticipate the physical coming of Christ into the world. Just as we decorate our house for Christmas, Advent gets our hearts ready for Jesus. But that doesn’t mean the waiting is easy. …
Want Advent emails delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here! Readings: Micah 5:1-5a + Matthew 2:1-6 + Colossians 1:15-17 When I think of being saved or rescued, what comes to mind is heroes in capes. Our culture loves the imagery of a good guy fighting the bad guy. Millions of dollars have been spent and made on these images. …
Want Advent emails delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here! Readings: Genesis 17:3-8 + Exodus 13:17-22 + 2 Peter 3:8-9 In my working life, I’ve had a lot of jobs. I worked retail and restaurant, dance teacher and after school counselor, phone banker and Montessori teaching assistant. I’ve hustled my way through multiple nonprofits, including affordable housing and education. …
