Loving the unlovable sounds impossible. Just writing that sentence reminds me of one of Thomas Merton’s famous quotes, “Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love,…
Category: grace
the ugly side of grace
Grace is a miracle. Poems have been written about its beauty. Songs have been sung declaring its praise. Stories have been told explaining its power. And in each of these, there is first something horribly wrong and ugly that is in need of grace’s gentle touch. Just over eight years ago, I had the worst…
Grace is free sovereign favor to the ill-deserving. ~Benjamin B. Warfield
While on my run this morning, my phone fell out of my pocket. I didn’t notice that it was gone until we got home. We retraced our steps… twice. We tried calling the phone and texting the phone… but someone had found it and turned it off. They also turned off the location services, so…
letting it all go
Sammy coughed all night long. I don’t care how old my kids are, I can’t sleep when they aren’t feeling well. When morning came, I knew I had to cancel two meetings I had today. There was no way I could have left her to herself. As our slow and quiet morning went on, this…
eyes wide open
I have had a full day. It started with making pancakes, berry syrup, and bacon for my family. At breakfast, I talked my husband into staying home for the holiday. After breakfast, I got talked into a hike by my sweet and convincing husband. We came home and edited more of a wedding we shot…
messes
There is nothing like homemade sauce and meatballs. They take some work, and things can get messy… but in the end, they are worth it. Friendships are like that. Parenting is like that. Marriage is like that. Life is like that. Today I am thankful for the messiness that is in my life… in…
a father’s love
There are many well-known stories from the Bible. There are stories of love and bravery. There are stories of pain and regret. There are stories of hope and redemption. The prodigal son contains all of these. I am going to give you my version of the story, just in case you haven’t heard it….
big moments in the little moments
Andy and I shot our first wedding yesterday. It was an beautiful day and it was a tiring day. I don’t remember what I paid my wedding photographer, but whatever I paid him, it wasn’t enough. And to think he did the whole thing on film! There were small moments yesterday that were really huge…
honestly me
I have been thinking, journaling, wondering, asking, and praying about what it means to be authentically myself. I wonder if I will ever be brave enough to completely know and love myself wholly. I know if I cannot be honest with myself about who I am and have grace for what I find, I will…
its all a blur
its all a blur, a photo by ~Staci Lee~ on Flickr. I can’t put my finger on it, but I like something about this. I think it speaks to me about what my life looks like right now. So many of my friends are hurting. My heart breaks for them. I know it is part…
thankful for homeschooling
This month I am doing a thankful project. When I began this project, I knew that one blessing that I would have to list would be homeschooling. As I was making my list of why I am so thankful for homeschooling, I started to realize that I am not only thankful for the experience of…
ignoring shame
piling up {film} The flu knocked me out for over a week. I wasn’t able to get out of bed for days. It was horrible. When I finally rolled out of bed, I think I expected to find my house in disarray. Instead, it was clean and tidy. The kids had kept up with school….
