My husband hates awkward conversations. Back when we were dating, there would be a natural pause in the conversation and he’d turn red and look at me with fear and say, “Well, this is awkward.” I think conversational silences are nice – a way to breathe and regroup and think and just be together. But … More Seasoned with Salt * 10 Minute Devotional
When I think all the technological innovations that have happened since I was a college student, it makes my head spin. Smart phones, tablets, wearables. Facebook, Spotify, Pinterest. Don’t even get me started on Twitter. As a college sophomore, I remember laughing at the one student who had a hands-free bluetooth for his phone. I’m sure … More Unplugging for Life
My three year old son is rarely blatantly disobedient. Sure, he’ll occasionally steal a toy from another kid on the playground, and I’ve had to tell him more than once that his feet do not belong on his dinner plate. But by and large he’s an easy kid. A good listener. Which is why I … More The Wages of Cin-namon * 10 Minute Devotional
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
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
Nothing good happens at 3am. Friends of mine had a baby who woke them crying at 3am. Evan went to check on him. In the dark room, he leaned over the crib to pick the little guy up when the baby violently spit up all over them both. Half-asleep and covered in baby vomit, Evan … More Step Out * 10 Minute Devotional
I stood in front of the mirror trying to screw up my courage. “I should be ready for this,” I told myself. “Other moms do a lot more than this a lot earlier” I wasn’t preparing to climb Everest, or even host a preschooler’s raucous birthday party. All that lay before me was a day with my … More Stopping the ‘Should’ Cycle
Courtney Ellis 