What do you think of when you think about freedom? It’s the 4th of July and fireworks have been (illegally) popping in our neighborhood for days. Block parties abound. There’s a 5k race that a friend of mine are skipping in favor of using the $30 entry fee for pedicures. (We’ll run on our own, … More For Freedom * 10 Minute Devotional
A decade ago, sitting at the head table in the prettiest dress I’ll ever wear, I was surprised at how seamlessly my wedding was going. After planning and preparing and hiring caterers and renting a banquet room and putting together our own flower arrangements (thanks to our wonderful crew of friends and family, who didn’t … More Don’t Miss Out * 10 Minute Devotional
Back in my college days I trained for a marathon. The day before the big race, I was nervous as all-get-out. Would I make it to the starting line on time in the crazy early-morning Chicago traffic? Would I embarrass myself by flaming out at mile twenty? Would I even be able to finish? One of … More A People Prepared * 10 Minute Devotional
Today I’m excited to welcome guest blogger Dana Herndon, writer at An Ordinary View, middle school teacher, and mother of three. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) This is one of my favorite verses. A simple, yet complex explanation of faith. Because that is how faith … More Faith, Parenting, and Faithful Parenting
Adapted from a devotional previously shared on this blog on May 19, 2016. “Gentlemen, this is a football.” That is how Vince Lombardi, started each season on his team’s practice field. Lombardi, the former coach of the Green Bay Packers who led them to victory in the first ever Super Bowl (and the one after … More This is a Football * 10 Minute Devotional
Sometimes there is nothing left to do but take the next obedient step. When strategizing and brainstorming comes to an end, when finances run dry, when a medical diagnosis isn’t good, when the weight of grief is too much to bear, sometimes there is nothing left to do but take the next obedient step. Remember … More The Next Obedient Step * 10 Minute Devotional
The knock at the door was followed immediately by a yell. “I have a smoothie for you!” My friend Katie was at my seminary apartment uninvited. Again. Katie always seemed to forget that I’m an introvert. (Pretty sure that “introvert” is just Latin for “call before you come over.”) She handed me a blueberry-yogurt-pineapple concoction … More Essential Friendship * 10 Minute Devotional
(First and foremost, to my current congregants: Have no fear – I am not leaving! This is a post from last year about my former church in Wisconsin. K, on with the post…) If you’ve been going to church for any length of time, odds are you’ve had a pastor leave. Sometimes it’s for another … More When a Pastor Moves On
We read a children’s Bible to our 4-year-old every night before bed. He always asks a lot of questions, both because he’s genuinely interested, and because each question he asks allows him another minute or two of bedtime delay. A few nights ago we read the story of the Red Sea from Exodus 14 and 15. You … More The Impossible God * 10 Minute Devotional
Good Friday is this Friday, April 14. Good Friday is all about the death of Jesus. The horrific, bloody death of Jesus. This day is one of cornerstones of the Christian faith. It’s important. Essential, even. I want my kids to have a grasp of it from their earliest days. To have heard about the … More How to Explain Good Friday to a Preschooler, and Other Things Seminary Never Taught Me
Courtney Ellis 