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
I sprained my ankle this weekend. No idea how. Saturday night all was well. Sunday morning I woke up with a bad ache and by the time I’d made it through two church services (preaching in flats, which I NEVER do because my tall black heels are my power shoes) it was swollen and painful. … More Top 10 Perks of a Sprained Ankle
When is the last time you waited in a line? Yesterday? The day before? When is the last time you waited in a line and weren’t on your phone? Can you remember a time? Yeah, me neither. Even with my newly unloaded phone, I still pull it from my pocket in lines to read some Scripture … More Waiting in Line (Soul Space Thursdays)
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
There are a few things in life I’m really good at doing. I can bake a mean gluten-free cupcake. I know how to tell a story. I can almost always hold the attention of a group of kids (in part because I don’t have any problems acting ridiculous…). But waiting? I am bad at waiting. Like, super bad. Terrible, … More Grace for In-Between Times * 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
Holy Week’s a-comin’, friends. After basically missing the whole shebang last year due to a case of extremely overdue pregnant-itis, I’m stoked for this year. Holy Week, the high point in the church year that begins with Palm Sunday (April 9, this year) and ends on Easter Sunday (April 16), is the best. If the church had a Super … More 10 Ways to Enter Into Holy Week
We went to the park last week and I totally forgot to bring snacks. Rule #1 of parenting is always have enough snacks. Always, always, alwaysalwaysalways. My firstborn asked for a snack and I suddenly realized I’d left the bag in our entryway at home. “I’m so sorry,” I told him. “The snacks are at … More Again Tomorrow * 10 Minute Devotional
My sisters and I grew up attending Christmas Eve services at a rural evangelical church in the northern woods of Wisconsin. It was as picturesque as that sounds–snowy woods filled with evergreens and white-tailed deer and birch trees. After the services every kid was given a brown paper bag filled with candy and an orange, though … More An Unconventional Christmas Eve * Advent Devotional
Courtney Ellis 