“We know Christ came to speak life — so why does our inner critic keep showing up and stealing the mic? If we’re honest, she’s a harsh one, saying things we’d never dream of saying to others…” – Hayley Morgan, Preach to Yourself Do you struggle with negative self-talk? Do you often feel like you…
Waking Up to God’s Goodness Around You
When my doorbell rang last August, Michelle was the last person I expected to be waiting on the other side. I’d only met her a few times in the four years we had lived on the same street, and none of those times had been particularly noteworthy. I made an effort in the beginning, dropping…
Verse Mapping Q&A with Kristy Cambron
I’m asked often: what is verse mapping? And that’s followed up by… Could it be for me? Plain and simple — verse mapping is getting real about studying the Bible. All of it. And it’s not just reading. It’s researching everything you can about a verse to really understand the Bible — maybe for the…
Opening Our Eyes to the Well in the Desert: Hagar, the Refugee
Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink. — Genesis 21:19 As the sun rose on the day the world stopped turning for Hagar, Abraham shook his second wife and their son Ishmael awake, holding a packed bag.…
Beauty in the Breakdown: Now What?
I was in a studio in Franklin, Tennessee, about twenty miles south of Nashville, recording the song “Men and Mascara,” with Byron Gallimore producing, when the doctor called me. I saw his name on my phone but didn’t take the call because I didn’t want to break the creative flow. I wanted to focus on…
Fiction Friday: Inheritance of Beauty… and More
Editor’s Note: It’s Fiction Friday! Enjoy this excerpt from the prologue of Inheritance of Beauty by Nicole Seitz. * Her Levy, 1929 I am seven years old, holding the magician’s wand, cool and silver in my hands. My breath is hot against the canvas bust of Mama’s dressmaker’s dummy. I’m inside of it, hiding. There is…
When Brokenness Becomes a Bridge
Bottom of the Barrel The phone rang one morning as I was rushing out the door to get to class. I almost let the machine take it, but as all my family live in Scotland and England, I never want to miss a chance to hear their voices. It was Marlene. “Sheila, I need you…
Take the Good, Toss the Bad: A Legacy of Joy
Simple joys are often found in deep-rooted faith and the legacy families create. I believe all of us have an inheritance that comes from our families, whether financial or emotional. Although you may not have a dime left to you by the ones you have long lost, I am sure experiences and moments from the…
When the Unexpected Interrupts
Living Expectantly True stability results when presumed order and presumed disorder are balanced. A truly stable system expects the unexpected, is prepared to be disrupted, waits to be transformed. ~ Tom Robbins “Chris, you have cancer.” Not quite the words I was expecting to hear as I was unpacking, having arrived in Sydney just two…