At a zoo tour years ago, I stood outside an okapi’s enclosure with a zookeeper who told me this story: Okapis are sensitive creatures. They are shy and gentle animals, and they struggle particularly in situations where they are repeatedly exposed to loud noises. The Sydney zoo is fairly close to the Sydney Opera House. … More Turn Down the Noise * 10 Minute Devotional
Our almost-5-year-old son is in a be-naughty-and-then-feel-terrible-about-it phase. He’s a really good kid almost always, but some days he gets this look in his eye (all parents know the one) and then he’ll disobey, and struggle to move on from the offense. “I’ll never be bad again, Mommy,” he told me a few days ago, … More He Loves Me, He Does * 10 Minute Devotional
I heard Andrew Peterson perform a few weeks ago. The guy’s profound and thoughtful, and I ended up scribbling a bunch of notes on the back of a pew envelope because I wanted to remember all his nuggets of wisdom. He spoke of a season of suffering that he railed against at first. No one … More The Shape of Things * 10 Minute Devotional
I’m a doer. I do things. Anybody else? Tell me that you need something done by Thursday, or the sink is stopped up, or you need 500 words on pretty much anything, and I will get on it. What I don’t want to do is be still. Ever. Being still is hard! I’m not talking about numbing-out-to-Netflix stillness. I’m talking, wait-here-until-God-does-something-because-you-are-out-of-options … More Being Still is the Hardest Thing * 10 Minute Devotional
How many minutes a day does your smartphone steal? If you’re anything like me, too many. Waaaay too many. We don’t give those moments away on purpose, of course. Our time is valuable; it’s precious; it matters. Yet most days you realize that, by the time your head hits the pillow, you’ve missed out on … More Unloading the Phone (Soul Space Thursdays)
If you haven’t seen the movie Hacksaw Ridge, it’s pretty great. Lots of gore (it’s a WWII film about one of its most deadly battles), but also a really compelling story of faith. The film got me thinking about the damage a sniper can do. In war, a sniper can take out soldiers from a … More A Sniper-free Zone * 10 Minute Devotional
Because sometimes opening up room for spiritual growth starts with t-shirts. … More The Great Closet Clean-Out (Soul Space Thursdays)
Ever feel like you have too much stuff, you’re way too busy, and your soul is just plain tired? Me too. That’s why I’m so excited to introduce Soul Space Thursdays! Beginning next week, Thursdays will feature posts about how to pare down the clutter, step off the busyness train, and create space for your soul … More Introducing Soul Space Thursdays
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
Courtney Ellis 