Ever wonder what it’s like to be married to the ministry? Since my husband and I are both pastors, we understand this one from the inside out. From my position as pastor’s wife, here’s what I’ve learned. 1. You understand the Saturday crabbies Sunday morning is serious. There’s a lot that goes into it behind the scenes, and the … More 10 Signs You Married a Pastor
I read last week that there are 65.3 million refugees in the world. 65.3 million. It blew my mind a little bit, and not in a good way. California has a population of 39 million. There are more global refugees right now than there are people in California. (And as someone who drives in the insane traffic of southern California, let … More Staggering Statistics, Compassion, and You
With all the Fourth of July festivities, I’ve been thinking about Philippians lately. (Say what?) Give me a sec – I’ll explain. Orange County, California, where we live, DOES the Fourth of July like none other. It’s Red-White-and-Blue-Fest 2016 out there. Fireworks. Picnics. Parades. Themed clothing. You name it. I love the Fourth of July. … More A Citizen of Where? * 10 Minute Devotional
It can be easy to fall into a prayer rut. We may pray the same type of prayers – for those struggling with health concerns, for example. We may always pray the same way or at the same time of day. Or maybe your rut is that you don’t pray at all, really. It feels overwhelming … More 10 Ways to Pray
Our firstborn has been learning that sometimes when things break they can’t be fixed. He’ll bring a toy to Daryl or me with a quivering lip and ask us to fix it. Most of the time we can—between duct tape and super glue and a screwdriver, most toys will go back together. But sometimes they won’t. … More If God is For Us * 10 Minute Devotional
My husband had knee surgery a couple weeks ago. In the days leading up to it he went for a prep appointment with his surgeon. Daryl’s been through this surgery – repair to a meniscus (that cartilage pad inside your knee) – before. Ten years ago, when we were still boyfriend-and-girlfriend, his roommates and I helped him recover by … More On Being “Older”
It’s been a rough few weeks in America, hasn’t it? News headlines have read like something out of The Hunger Games. There was the Stanford rape case. Suicide bombings in the Middle East. Zika virus threatening the Olympics. A resurgence of hemorrhagic fever in western Africa. The vitriol of this election cycle. And, of course, the atrocity … More Think About Such Things * 10 Minute Devotional
Nothing tests your understanding of God like a preschooler. Our firstborn is asking some pretty tough questions. I’ll be the first one to admit that I don’t have all the answers, especially to the tough questions a preschooler asks. Perhaps nowhere are his questions tougher than when we read him Bible stories before bed. The Bible … More Gruesome Bible Stories and Your Preschooler
I am in a perpetual hurry. Maybe it’s my personality type (I blame you, Myers-Briggs!). Perhaps it’s how I was raised. (My dad used to stand in the kitchen ten minutes before we had to leave for somewhere and yell, “The bus is leaving!” There was no bus. Just a minivan. But still.) Or it could possibly stem … More Being Still, and Other Impossible Things * 10 Minute Devotional
10. Your attention Put down the phone, for the love of all that’s good and holy. And don’t just put it down next to you where you know you’ll pick it up when it buzzes again. 9. A love note My husband and I leave each other love notes from time to time. They used … More 10 Gifts to Give Your Spouse
Courtney Ellis 