Some of the hardest things to do are the little things. Let me explain. I would throw myself in front of a bus for my husband. I really would. But I might not let him pick the restaurant, because I don’t really feel like Mexican today. I would sacrifice a kidney if my son needed one. But I probably … More Start Small * 10 Minute Devotional
I just got back from ten days in northern Wisconsin (folks from northern Wisconsin always specify the northern because southern Wisconsin is cities and farmland, while the north is woods and lakes and white-tailed deer and air so fresh your lungs practically say “thank you” with each exhale). I grew up there, and my parents still live … More Top 10 Signs You’re at Your Childhood Home
1. Eat Less Sugar Yeah. I have a sweet tooth. Or maybe I have only sweet teeth. Since Diabetes runs in my family, it’s high time I got a bit of a handle on my Icees-and-Swedish-Fish obsession. (I have the palate of an eight-year-old. Don’t judge.) But here’s the thing: choosing to restrict something usually just makes me … More 5 New Years’ Resolutions I’m Not Making (and What I’m Doing Instead)
My brother-in-law Jared Bangs is a fiery redheaded Baptist pastor with a killer sense of humor and four beautiful kids. He visited us in southern California a couple of Aprils ago, and our neighbors found him swimming in our condo complex’s frigid, unheated pool. “What’s wrong with him?” they asked. “He’s from Minnesota,” I replied. Our … More Today is a Good Day * Advent Devotional
Welcome to my friend Kristine Aragon-Bruce (hi, Kristine!). Kristine is a mom, a displaced West-Coaster, and a pastor in a PC(USA) church in Chicagoland. She has a killer sense 0f humor and writes from the heart. Enjoy her devotional! Isaiah 9:2 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a … More Silent Nights * Advent Devotional
A little humor for your holiday. … More Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving…
Because waiting is hard. … More An Introduction to Advent
Because it might be a loooooong day. … More 10 Things to Do on Election Day
The end of a 108-year drought and a reminder of the hope of the Gospel. … More On Hope & the Cubs
You guys, there are only seven more weeks until Christmas. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! [That’s crazy, hysterical laughter because: OH MY GOODNESS THAT IS NOT MUCH TIME.] Working in ministry, the pre-Christmas season takes on many additional layers. There’s the early November “I don’t have time to prep for my family’s Christmas because there are a bajillion church … More 5 Ways to Celebrate Advent as a Family
Courtney Ellis 