Thank You, Lord, for Your Holiness

Thank You, Lord, for Your Holiness

I pre-ordered Jackie Hill Perry’s latest book, Holier Than Thou, as soon as I heard about it. I knew I would like it and I did. JHP, as I affectionately call her, is one of my favorite people to learn from. She is unfussy, poetic, truthful, and not once has she called me her “friend,” which I find altogether endearing and hard to find amongst female Christian authors. (No offense, I just have never met these people so I don’t know why they call me their friend when I’m just trying to read their books.)

Thank You, Lord, for Your Generosity

Thank You, Lord, for Your Generosity

Have you ever been the recipient of something beautifully simple, of which you never expected to receive? I have. It was the dress my sister bought for me when my bank account was literally in the negative. It was the joy of seeing the second bowl of watery potato soup my first ever house guests partook in. It was the bouquet of flowers from my family delivered to my office on the day I resigned from the job I loved. It was a kind message from an old friend after he read my vulnerable Instagram post. It was the picture my dad took of me on the beach that made me feel special amid the couples’ photo sessions.

Thank You, Lord, for Your ______________

Thank You, Lord, for Your ______________

Happy Fall, Y’all!! The temperatures are cooling off, mums are blooming, pumpkins are on display, and the holiday season is upon us. As much as I love spring and the promise of new life, I also love autumn and all its richness of color, pageantry, and celebration of holiday tradition. Today, we are past Halloween, and it is time to turn our thoughts toward Thanksgiving.

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The Joy of Serving

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The Joy of Serving

I have been impacted by so many faithful servants of Jesus. I grew up in a small church in Kansas where everyone felt like family and as a child I felt constantly cared for in my church. It often had to do with food. I’ll never forget Maxine’s homemade bread, Darlene’s coffee cake, and Charlene’s cinnamon rolls. It wasn’t always the deep theological discussions that were the most impactful (although important), but it was experiencing their love and joy in serving Jesus. It was evident that the love of Jesus overflowed from them, spurring them on towards love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24).

Dependence as a Virtue

Dependence as a Virtue

“Yea, I think it’s fine, just a rib out of place so it hurts to breathe.”

I was on the phone explaining the situation to my husband in the aftermath of me trying to pack up for a family trip on my own. I am willing to admit, I have a problem. I am very motivated to do things on my own, sometimes to the detriment of my own body. Like in this instance, when I was doing a lot of heavy lifting (luggage, pack-n-play, double stroller) after a few days of nearly constantly holding my (growing and heavy) teething baby which had put a strain on my back. I decided I could get our stuff ready to load up and I was not waiting around for my sweet husband to be home (in which case he would have certainly been trying to do all of these things for me!). While I thought it would all be fine, my back decided it had other plans.

Why I Am Going Back to School

Why I Am Going Back to School

I really enjoy learning. Don’t you? God has given us these minds that can take in so much information. The problem is we forget it REALLY fast. I think back to some of the subjects in school that I was pretty darn good at: Geometry, English, Physics. Just kidding, I wasn’t great at physics. Maybe you were though! And while I took tests and initially remembered information regarding The Count of Monte Cristo, if you asked me today what were its main themes, I'd have nothing for you.

"Life's Not Fair, and Then Ya Die"

"Life's Not Fair, and Then Ya Die"

My family is a mine of anecdotal wisdom and quippy responses. I have many favorite sayings from them over the years. There’s Grandma’s “Poop or get off the pot,” Grandpa’s “Crack your own whip,” and of course Nana’s “Emotions make a great caboose, but a terrible engine” line. There’s my dad’s “You’re grounded for life” bit and “Anyone want pie?” (a running tension breaking joke in our hard-headed Hanzel conversations).

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Sacred Seasons

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Sacred Seasons

I didn’t grow up paying much attention to Pentecost, but embracing sacred seasons like Advent and Lent (celebrating, meditating on and mourning key events in Jesus’ life) as more than a single event holiday has become a special part of my entire year. Honoring these seasons are not forced out of legalism, but given to us by God’s grace. In His sovereignty, God knows that we need intentional times of quiet reflection and regular reminders of His faithfulness, otherwise one day flows into the next month, into the next year.

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