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Recent Posts . . .
Lying is No Way to Impress Anyone
I dreamt last night. And in the dreaming I was lying, manipulating. It was a group setting--people I know from different parts of my life--and we were each asked to share what it means to us to be vulnerable. People shared. And they were honest, authentic. Their very act of sharing was a beautiful example of vulnerability. Not hiding. Not pretending. Not faking. Peeling back layers of the heart to reveal the naked beautiful truth underneath.Yes, it was beautiful.Specifically, we were asked to share times in high school and in college when we demonstrated vulnerability. And in the dream, I am panicking. I not only want to be vulnerable; I want to do a rock-star job of being vulnerable. And what is so weird is that, in the dream--rather than confessing truth (and actually being vulnerable); I share lies.
Why I Can't Trust Myself, and Why that Has to Stop
It is time for me to admit I have no answers. To admit that I am not yet free. Confession: I hurt people around me. And I do this by idolizing myself. And success. And being right.When the self is an idol, the whole world, the way I perceive it, is warped. Even now I struggle to trust my own words, my feelings, my voice--a deep-seeded wound I thought was uprooted years ago. I don't know if I can trust myself.I know I can't. Not yet.
When Self-Contempt and Jesus Collide
"I came back for you."I hear you say it, your hand at the small of my back, your arms holding me. For years it was my Father's voice I recognized. Opening my imagination. Cracking open my heart. When I see me with him. When I hear his voice.But I didn't think I could hear yours. Or think I ever wanted to.
when it's time to be done
People say it’s in the quiet where we can most easily find Him. Not because He is quiet. Not necessarily. Not because He is calm. Not consistently. But because the distractions come fierce and loud. And our hearts—fragile, on their own—need Him to pull us back to the beginning, the pure place, with Him.And yes, I think this is true.Jesus, we need you.Grab hold of our hearts and bring us to You.
a new year, and God in the snow
It is cold the morning we climb. Strap snowshoes onto our boots. Head out while still dark. House quiet. Kids asleep.The break has been needed. Away from home. The pace of running too fast, too long. I look up here. White aspens, bare fingers stretch to the most pale blue sky.
your one practical step toward Jesus this Advent
I tell them I've been running. Running and running and asking God to keep up. And it is tiring, depleting.Of course.Especially during this Advent season.Jesus, help us prepare You room.
knowing God intimately: an interview with Kris Camealy
She doesn't mess around, in the best way. As a sequin-wearing, homeschooling mother of four--a woman who adores Jesus, people, and words--Kris Camealy loves to go deep. In relationships. In the pursuit of Christ. In leading women to be raw and vulnerable and open to God changing their hearts. She's beautiful in her authenticity, her willingness to surrender and trust God in making us brand new.
rescue from self-contempt
Her eyes are big, gentle and kind. Her music is beautiful, her fingers upon keys, her body dancing, her voice singing out. In her words, her glory--I glimpse the more that is here. But she tells me she doesn't see it. Her beauty. Her value.She is displaced, feeling separate from the exquisiteness of her own soul even while she creates beauty, and is loved, so loved, here.
Look up, my darling, look up.
When I hear Him, this space I’m in, at this plain wooden table, this window with the cobwebs at the corner of the metal screen, this soft rumble of washing machine, this smell of wet dog near my feet, I study the room, looking for clues for what is different.
All is different? No, all is the same.