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Waymaker by Ann Voskamp–A Review
At its heart, Ann Voskamp’s newest book Waymaker is a romance. It’s the story of God’s love for us couched in the terms of a story, a true story of a marriage that almost died, an adoption with seemingly insurmountable challenges, and how deep heart pain can derail our best attempts to honor God. I admit I read it too fast the first time, reading the human story first, thirsting to find out How The Story Ended. I’m a Christian romance novelist at my core. My native language is the story of God’s love for us framed in terms of human relationships. Ann spoke to me in my language, and…
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The Two Sides of Anxiety
I have struggled my entire life with anxiety, and I want to make a few distinctions before I go too far posting about Christians and anxiety. I think there are two sides of anxiety, maybe two different conditions, but they are closely related and often tangle together.
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When you Feel Forgotten by God
I find a lot of comfort in the Psalms. In fact, I find so much comfort that I’ve been working on a book of devotions about the Psalms of David. In my youth I didn’t have time for them. They didn’t touch me. Now that I’m older, I have no idea what my young self was thinking. Older me just about lives in the Psalms. Almost every human condition is addressed in the Psalms, and that includes fear.
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A Life of Rhythms
For those of us with anxiety, there is a lot of appeal to worship--and life--with predictable rhythm. This is a term I love. I want to see more of my life characterized by rhythms. Not routines, exactly, but rhythms. Ebbs and flows. Work and rest. Speech and silence. The natural world is awash with rhythms, and we don't live in them.
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Thoughts on the Anxious Christian
Fear not. As an anxious Christian, you’ve heard it. Jesus said it, and you want to obey. You’d love nothing more than to do what he asks and never fear again. But the world is a scary place. People we love disappoint us. They die or leave. Your job might not be secure. Perhaps your health isn’t good. Your children have broken your heart. Economics and politics feel out of control. Whatever it is, things can feel scary. Jesus tells us not to fear, but it’s one of the hardest commands to obey. I’d love not to fear. If I could, I’d never feel another anxious moment in my entire…
