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
How would your life change if God promised you enough for today? … More Exactly Enough * 10 Minute Devotional
I’m a doer. I DO things. I get things done. Anyone relate? In a premarital counseling session with my not-yet-husband over a decade ago, our pastor prayed a metaphor over me. “Courtney is a thoroughbred, Jesus,” he said. (Pastor Kevin has buckets of wisdom and uses lots of metaphors, so I didn’t take the fact that he was … More The Best Thing You Can Do for God * 10 Minute Devotional
I remember laying on the floor of my (Christian) college dorm lamenting the curse of Eve. “Why did she have to eat that stupid apple?” I wailed. It was that-time-of-the-month and I was wracked with cramps and bubbling with angst. Women often joke about the difficulties our fair sex faces, childbirth chief among them. We expect pain, … More Holy Labor * Book Review & Giveaway!
I’ve taken on too much this semester. You know the feeling. You’ve done it too. Maybe not this semester, but at some point you have taken on too much. Feel the tightening in your chest, the pressure bearing down on your shoulders, your racing thoughts. There is not enough time; there will never be enough … More Weary & Burdened * 10 Minute Devotional
It’s kind of a mess out there, isn’t it? Tensions are running high. Democrat vs. Republican. Black Lives Matter vs. Blue Lives Matter. Young vs. Old. Rich vs. Poor. Us vs. Them. Policies vs. People. So much is broken. When I get up to preach these days I feel a lot of weight on my … More Doing Good Anyway * 10 Minute Devotional
My husband thinks its adorable that I change into pajama pants the minute I get home. (I married well in that he thinks it’s adorable and not some sort of neurosis.) I like to be comfortable! Really, who doesn’t? The problem comes when I decide that comfort is the ultimate goal of my spiritual life, too. … More God of Discomfort * 10 Minute Devotional
A few months ago, Daryl and I arrived home in separate cars around the same time. He parallel parked (we live in a townhouse and park on the street outside) and walked over to me, a big grin on his face, his arms open wide for a hug. I couldn’t meet his gaze. My … More Chin Up * 10 Minute Devotional
We have a video of my then two-year old niece sitting in a university auditorium watching a choir and orchestra rehearse. She was bouncing around, climbing over and under the seats and just generally being a toddler. Then the musicians started practicing the Hallelujah Chorus. Suddenly she fell utterly silent and still. “What is that song?” she whispered, … More A Brand New Song * 10 Minute Devotional
As a 90s youth group kid, I spent a lot of years singing songs that haven’t aged particularly well. There is the line in “Knowing You” that tells God “you’re the BEST,” like he’s a super good mailman or something. There are the dorky motions to “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High.” There is the overwrought chorus to … More Where’s the Help? * 10 Minute Devotional
Courtney Ellis 