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The Power of Loving Jesus
I’m about to release a book called Seen and Invited: Meeting Jesus on the Dusty Roads. The book walks through Jesus’s healings and interactions with people he met along the way–the blind he healed, the lepers he touched, the dead he raised. The purpose of the book is simply to help readers see Jesus’s deep Shepherd love for us and to know that love is still ours today. The book is somewhat light on practical application. So, the question is does loving Jesus and understanding Jesus’s love for me help me travel the rough paths of my life? Unfortunately, I got to test this in the past few weeks. During…
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From the Pit to the Rock
I’m a fiction writer by trade, and that means people can find me. They can also let me know when I have disappointed them, angered them, and let them down by writing something they don’t like. Honestly, sometimes I wish I lived way back in the day when female writers were given male pen names and hidden in the shadows. As much as I love to write, I’m much too thin-skinned for the job, and this week someone’s harsh words reminded me just how true that is. Yes, I got one of those emails. Darkness pounced. Very often those who find something distasteful in my writing go right for the…
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From Dry, Dormant Seeds..
As I pray for lost loved ones, God reminds me that he is working on the seeds of their faith, even dry, dormant seeds that seem to have no life in them.
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Don’t Be Afraid
True Confessions. When I read Don’t be afraid or Fear not in the Bible, I think of Jesus standing with his hands on his hips, frowning, scolding me. I mean, it’s a command, and it’s a command I break with frightening regularity, so Jesus is disappointed with me, right? Maybe angry? Someone recently helped me see these commands in a different light, and I want to share that light with you. (Thank you Carrie Mars for your devotion Calm Your Anxious Mind.) Picture the scene. You’re in bed in the dark, and a storm is raging outside. Wind pelts the house and rhythmically slaps rain against the windows. Shadows from…
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Sound and Fury
Shakespeare's Macbeth said life was a tale of sound and fury. Some days this is an accurate description. But look at God's kingdom, which is a place of peace, rest, and hope, and step away from the chaos into his quiet spaces.
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Using Music to Calm Anxiety
Using music to calm anxiety isn't new. In this post explore why it works and how to use music both to calm and prevent anxious moments.
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Fighting Holiday Anxiety
Holiday anxiety can derail celebrations and cause undue heartache. Look at some of the triggers of holiday anxiety as well as some ways to face the holidays without holiday anxiety or depression.
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Notes from a Panic Disorder Relapse
After fifteen years of decent mental health, this week panic disorder is taking me down. A very honest post from the midst of a bout of acute anxiety from a Christian who wishes the whole thing would go away and leave her alone.
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Asleep in the Boat–The Authority of Jesus
This is who loves me. He’s Other, not quite tied to this world. That means I, as his daughter, am also other, not quite tied to this world. Anxiety, which plagues me, is worse when I forget that, and it lessens when I remember. The rules here, the chaos and noise, the rises and the falls—this isn’t my kingdom. It’s not my home. Jesus was homeless, and in a way I am, too, only it’s a good thing. How much time do I want to spend on real estate here? This place is a mess, and it isn’t mine. Not permanently.
