I've been there

The stately houses whisper on the wind. A porch had fallen in on the corner home. With a crash, all the hopes of all the years and memories crumbled down the face of the graffitied red brick building. Long forgotten, long unloved. “We’ve been there,” echoes long and low

Measure by Heaven

Measure by Heaven  And not by man  The cost He asks you to pay.  For steep the cost  And foolish loss  The Way through human eye.  But they are blind  To the Love that binds  Us to that rugged Way.  And they cannot see  This is but tiny fee  For

Like we didn't know

One night we went to the park. We lolloped about and the girls screamed on the spinner while Joel grumbled about their volume. They were using it all wrong — lying on the top, pushing and pulling each other. They are too big for it. But they didn’t know. Then

We're looking

We can go back. Yeah. We know. But we’re looking, yeah looking On before. On to forever To a home for me and you, Soaked in the sunshine of All that He is. We can go back. Yeah, we know. But we’re looking, yeah looking On before To

Munching

Like a moth He consumes  All that harms and pulls,  All that tempts us down  And tender tugs our souls. Like a moth He is munching  All that dross, rot, and sin.  Can you hear tiny crunching?  A purging munch by Him.  He crumbles and cracks,  All the wood, hay,

Worth it.

It's been a couple months, and I suppose all the social media professionals would tell me not to post two posts in a day, but I have a minute so here we are.  We're moving. It's so hard to say that - again. People ask me if I am happy,

Two Mites

Two mites was all she had Two mites was all she gave Two mites was everything Ten times the tithe Ten times the gift That all the others gave Could it be that when Our little drains away To further nothing than before That then we have rich Chance to

What we cannot keep

We’ve come, Lord.  We’ve found You worth it all!  We’ve lost, yes, so much.  Babies and homes and dreams.  But how can we measure it all  When next to you - they are so small?  We couldn’t keep a single one,  But we can give them

Joy

Joy. It comes in the morning.  How I dreaded those boxes.  Filing, piling, leaving.  But there they go, And yet, I feel so full.  Full of the future, full of His purpose, full of hope.  There’s a turn in the tunnel. The one we use so much  To get

That boat

Where’s your faith?  In the boat?  Yeah.  He was sleeping. I was screaming.  He was resting. I was testing.  He was controlling. I was rolling.  Where’s my faith? In the boat?  Yeah.  The boat can fill, but He cannot.  The boat will crack, but He will not.  The

Little Home Love

You know who taught me to love my home? I have a friend who got married right after I had my second baby. You know, when you realize that as difficult as toddlers are, adding a newborn to the mix makes them harder? And that bodies don’t just bounce

poetry

Doorkeepers

A doorkeeper To swing the home open wide.  To usher us in  with soft smile inside. A doorkeeper Is exactly our need.  To welcome the weary  and close out the dreary.  A doorkeeper For the great house of God  A tender refrain,  Come in, for you're spent.  Come into His

Bitter waters

Remember when the Israelites were walking in the desert complaining because they needed water? They had just crossed the Red Sea three days before and watched their enemies drown behind them. They knew God could take care of them. Was it wrong to need water? No. Was it wrong to

490 times

My daughter recently asked me if that means she only has to forgive her little sister 490 times. "Jesus said seventy times seven, mom!" I smiled. “Have you been counting?” She hadn’t. But she understood. And it's a tough pill to swallow - for grown ups too. Have you

What would abundance wear?

Sometimes I stand in front of my closet and feel paralyzed about what to wear. That patch of carpet in front of my closet? It’s a battle ground. It's the stage for the expectations, limitations, judgments, and disappointments of all it means to be a woman, let alone a

Fresh Bread

Want to read and pray, but there’s no time or energy? First: This is hard. Might as well say it. And it's not because moms don’t want to. We do. And worse, Satan doesn’t want us to. He really doesn’t. Second: This is possible. And the

Mining

“He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives; they are forgotten by travelers; they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.” Job 28:4 He sought me out in valley far Where ne’er a man had gone. There He plunged,

A Christmas gift and a break

Dear reader, Christmas is almost upon us. I'm looking forward to celebrating and resting with my girls, Joel and with our families. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement this year. I am thankful for each one of you. I write for the help and hope of you individually.

Come all ye faithful

Dear Momma,  Do you know that Christmas is for you too? As you plan the things and string the lights and wipe the noses and kiss the owies? Do you know that He came for you too?  As you arrange their advent activities — the ones that remind them daily that

Christmas 2023

One year, four girls, four completely different people. While they all contribute to the drama, the fridge artwork and the food and toothpaste consumption, they all couldn’t be more different. This is a source of joy and trial, mind you. And when I (Rachel) got a book to help

This Christmas

This year, Christmas will look different. And you know what? That’s ok. My husband is currently out of work. His company downsized and gave him a severance to leave. Since then he’s been hunting - but not finding. So here’s Christmas but no work. And you know

Jesus is the best Savior

“Jesus is the best Savior.” I can’t remember what led to that statement, but it was a conversation with Hannah, my 4 year old. I was trying to sum something up for her to understand, and the Spirit summed something up for me to understand too.  Jesus is the

Christian Living

Heart Keeping

"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). Heart-keeping is hard and holy work, but the work is in the tending, not in the hiding. A hidden heart is like my grandma's watch in my nightside table. Mostly, a treasure

poetry

These Counters

They’ve seen light of days  And the dark of night. They’ve seen messy sprays,  Sure, they’re quite the sight.  They’ve heard laughter passing, Even our anger lasting. Held up weight of the seasons, Holding up without reason. Sand and sun and snacks And mud and little

worship

Worried Warriors

Does rumination plague your quiet and disrupt your joy? He can turn this “flaw” into a strength, if you’ll let Him. Every worried thought about your marriage or kids or church or world or self — is a thought that you can verbalize to Him. Is there anyone else that