When 1 Samuel begins, it is still the period of the judges when everyone is doing whatever they want and generally ruining the country. However, there is the threat of the Philistines coming from the East and suddenly the people want someone to rule over them. But where is their heart? Do they want a […]
Day 7 :: Ruth {Hope for the Depressed}
For the majority of my adult life, I have struggled with depression. I’ve gone to counseling, been on medications, switched medications, and generally sought healing as best as I have known how. But there are days and weeks when nothing seems to be working. I’ve been stuck in several of those days in a row […]
Day 6 :: Joshua & Judges {Rest & Rebelli
“Be strong and courageous.” These words of the LORD to Joshua rang in my heart this year as we made the Big Move “back home” from Colorado to Minnesota. I have experienced extreme ambivalence about this move. One half of me is ecstatic to be here. I love being near my parents and a couple […]
Day 5 :: Deuteronomy {God of Life}
I had a dream that I shaved off my eyebrows. Panicked, I began digging through my make-up drawer looking for something to draw them back on. I had nothing. This morning, I had to look in the mirror to make sure it wasn’t true! Then I looked up the meaning of the dream: “To dream of […]
Day 3 :: Leviticus {The Holy One (who ma...
Okay friends, who else groans when they think of Leviticus? I have only read the book from front to back once and it is dull. One of those reads where you can’t remember what you just read and at times swear you’ve already read those words before. (Hint: You probably have.) When I asked my […]
Day 2 :: Exodus {The Rescuer}
When we turn the page from Genesis to Exodus, it is a desperate scene. 400 years after Joseph ruled, the people of God are held in Egypt as slaves by a cruel Pharaoh who fears their numbers. In order to contain the Israelites’ population, their baby boys are being stolen from them to be drowned […]
Day 1 :: Genesis {A God of Promises}
The first words of the Bible burst forward with the hope and joy of what this world is meant to be. Light. Life. Perfection. After speaking the earth, the sun, the soil, the fish, animals, and finally human beings into existence, God looked around at it all and with a contented sigh stated: It is […]
Join ME! “Discovering God in the Old Tes
Months ago, I had this idea that every night I would share a Bible verse on Twitter and Facebook and call it #mamasnightlight. I was good at posting for awhile, but then we moved. And in the emotional fatigue of change and loss and reunions I just couldn’t get my act together. But I need […]
Write 31 Dayers :: We NEED Your Voice {s...
Write 31 Days begins in 10 days and if you’re like me you are wondering, “Where did September go?!” My September looked like this: It began with first day of school, continued on to flooding in my parents basement, followed by packing, followed by anther first day of school, continued on to moving, followed by refinishing […]
Why Sympathy Spurs Shame, but Empathy Em...
Day 28 of 31 Days of Connecting When Jack was 3 or 4 months old, we went to a family friend’s house for lunch. Not knowing them well, I mostly kept to myself, hiding myself in Jack’s needs. When he finally went down for a nap, I had no choice but to engage in conversation with […]