We often think of sanctuaries as sacred buildings adorned with stained glass, but sanctuaries are any place we can retreat for refuge and renewal. Any space that speaks to our souls and places us in a posture of reverence can be a sanctuary.
Read MoreAbove is a passage from the Bible about what spiritual fruit should be flourishing within you as a Christian. There's the obvious, but no less important, ones like love and joy and peace. Then there's long suffering (which is also known as patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. And then there is gentleness: the one I struggle with the most.
Read MoreIt’s summertime and now seems like the perfect time to settle in for a good series on Netflix, am I right? Is that just me? I have to be really careful in this carefree season of relaxation and a lighter schedule, because if I’m not, I could easily spend all day long binge-watching my favorite shows. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, necessarily, but moderation is a good thing to consider. That being said, I am trying to be mindful of what I fill my mind with and how I spend my time.
Read MoreThere is magic in a marsh sunset, when the water mirrors the sky above. I can watch the water, looking for ripples of movement to reveal the wildlife under the surface while admiring wispy clouds swirling overhead. And I can witness the water and sky as one, the water working to reflecting much bigger blue above.
Read MoreRomans 8:28-30 is often used to support the doctrine of predestination, which is one of the fundamental characteristics of the Calvinist Christian view. Predestination is the belief that God does not just know all who will be saved, but ordains (decides) who will be saved. The people who will be saved are called the “elect”.
Read MoreI went into marriage with a lot of romantic, but vague, ideas about what a marriage would be like. A few years in, I’ve since found that marriage is very different from what I imagined. I’ve learned a lot, but one thing I was surprised to discover is that my marriage has been teaching me new things about my relationship with Christ.
Read MoreGod’s desires for our lives often come in quiet revelations and hushed tones, nestled between dirty dishes and early mornings. It’s an invitation hidden in not-yet-mopped floors and cluttered counter tops. For as long as I can remember, I wanted three things in life: to get married, become a homemaker, and be a writer. Maybe these tiny handfuls of whimsical dreams seem a bit trivial and cliché to you.
Read MoreHow can we love better? Loving others is work. Love is fun. Love is rewarding. Love is sacrifice. Still, what does love actually look like?
Read MoreI want to tell you about something I’ve noticed on the journey of building bridges and burning ships (part 1 here). Labels. They are so fun. When you meet a person you start to categorize them - the color of their skin, their age, their gender, their sexuality, or maybe what they do for a living. We don’t intentionally place people in a box - nonetheless we do. One of the things I’ve noticed in the modern-day church is an unintentional “burning ships”.
Read MoreWe’ve all been in waiting seasons, when you’re somewhere you maybe no longer want to be, dreaming of someday. Or maybe you’re content with where you are, but your heart also longs for a different season, whether that’s a new job, graduating college, moving, falling in love, healing, starting a family, or becoming a mother. That feeling of longing and eagerly expecting something is what this week’s study is about.
Read MoreHomosexuality. This is a topic very close to my heart. God granted me the privilege of building friendships within a gay theatre community. I was able to talk to many men and hear their hearts and struggles. God granted me the privilege of an unusual friendship with a Christian young man (not a part of the theatre ) walking the journey of finding his sexuality in Christ and surrendering his sexual tendencies to Christ.
Read More“Having children is like a walk in the park. Jurassic Park, to be precise.”
Before I had kids, this was a quote that I laughed at but didn’t really understand. Now, it’s something that I laugh at because it can feel so true. It doesn’t matter how many of your friends or family have kids before you and offer their advice and experiences to assist you on your own journey, there is truly nothing that can prepare you for what lies ahead. Much like the crew that John Hammond assembled in the first of this movie franchise - not a single one of them knew enough about dinosaurs despite all the books they’d read and bones they’d assessed to face them in real-time.
We had just moved from Chennai, India to Auckland, New Zealand. My husband started designing bridges here. Within a couple of weeks, the boys, 18 and 14, were busy with studies, and Ranjan worked long hours at the office. I realized I could not work as an architect in New Zealand with my Indian qualification. I took that and everything else to the Lord in prayer.
Read MoreWhen I was a freshman in high school, my friend in the youth group made a bet with me that I would be married by the time I turned 25. While the bet was made partly in jest, the lingering idea that I could be married made me hopeful. So I followed Jesus closely throughout high school and college, avoiding the many temptations that encompass the college party scene, assuming the Lord would honor the bet by granting me a godly husband by 25. In my mind, I thought that I had to wait for a few months then God would lead a godly man that looked like Jess Mariano straight to my doorstep.
Read MoreBeing adopted into someone’s family is life changing. In the Roman times, a childless couple could adopt a son, making him their heir. This was a deliberate decision a father would make to have someone carry on his name and inherit his estate. As a result, the child’s old debts would be canceled, he would receive a new name, he would be set to inherit all of his father’s wealth, and his father would become responsible and liable for the son.
Read MoreIn the last five months, I’ve had some pretty big life shifts. My husband and I were married in November, learned we were pregnant (our post-honeymoon little one) with our first child in December, then my husband shipped out for Army training at the beginning of January. It’s been a crazy whirlwind, and in the middle of it all, I’ve been grappling with what it means to care for my home.
Read MoreSomeone once pointed out something interesting about this passage of Scripture. Shiphrah and Puah are mentioned by name. The King of Egypt is not. Do you know why?
Read More“Do not despise the day of small beginnings…” I have a confession to make. I was never super excited about “Tirzah at Work”. It was the one section that I just couldn’t gear up the passion to write for. In my years of writing, I’ve never contributed to this section until now.
Read MoreI’ve been spending many of my summer evenings at the river, swimming in the salty marsh river near my home in coastal Georgia. Before I jump in, I watch the water. The current flows confident and trusts the tides to continually flow. I want to enter the flow. I want to feel the flow on my skin. I want, even more, to feel the flow in my soul. I want to enter a flow state.
Read MoreThis week’s study focuses on two parallel lives, the root of each stemming from either living according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. Whatever you live according to is determined by what you set your mind on: the things of the flesh or the things of the Spirit. To set your mind is more than just thinking about something though, but instead, it implies a deeper focus on something - to become preoccupied with it, to let your attention and imagination be captured by something.
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