There is something about the belly laugh of a child. Infectious at its very nature, you join in even before you know the reason for their laughter. Soon your sides ache and tears cascade down your cheeks. Those moments are pure gold. Children laugh with abandon and little provocation. Yet as adults we view laughter as silliness, or worse, as…
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The God Who Births Laughter
Wounds or Wonder, What’s Your Perspective?
I made an important discovery in a recent therapy session. One of many important discoveries along the way, this revelation was the piece (and peace) I needed at my current crossroads. Relentless at best, resolving and processing past trauma requires continued perspective shifts. I now stood at the crossroads of another perspective shift, continue the focus on wounds or shift…
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A Journey from Despair to Hope
The season of spring portrays a glorious shift from despair to hope, as it captivates us with a visual symphony of praise. More than a pleasing shift from the stark panoramas of winter, spring’s vibrant beauty ushers in hope for the hard realities of our winter spiritual seasons. Spring illustrates the victory of the resurrection like no other season, enveloping…
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Where Creation Falls Short
Ever since childhood my fascination with creation has both fueled my learning and drawn me closer to God. From the early days of scampering through the woods, swimming in creeks, fishing, catching salamanders and collecting leaves, to my school days of charting constellations and measuring the arc and phases of the moon, my thirst for science has opened my eyes…
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When Darkness Reveals the Light of God’s Promises
Are you afraid of the dark? Me too…sometimes. Despite having baggage around dark seasons of my life, God is inviting me to view darkness through a new perspective. While darkness holds a certain fear of the unknown, it also showcases even small amounts of light in a spectacular way. When we relax our negative view, we find darkness reveals the…
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Finding Wonder in the Wilderness
Lent is likened to a wilderness journey because its forty days duration mimics Christ’s forty days of temptation in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry. But Lent also alludes to Christ’s solitary journey to the cross. Though He spent countless hours of fellowship and instruction with His twelve disciples, they little understood the final destination of His journey. While…
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Lent: A Journey Home
Today, Ash Wednesday, marks the official start of Lent, a time of reflection, repentance, and what I call recalibration. Lent offers us a unique time for plumbing the depths of our hearts while communing in a more intimate way with God. Culminating in the crucifixion of Christ, Lent is viewed as a journey to the Cross. But I also view…
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Why I Said Farewell to Personal Development
In keeping with my focus on a gentle approach to the new year, laying down my self-improvement toolbelt, and leaning into a less achievement oriented purposeful rest, I said farewell to the albatross of personal development. I am convinced that excessive focus on personal development is the bane of spiritual growth. For as long as I can remember, an unhealthy…
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Waking Up to Purposeful Rest
Previously one of lament, my attitude towards the season of winter recently underwent a small shift. Choosing to enter the new year with a mindset of ease rather than one of frenzied activity has opened the door to purposeful rest in my life. Our success driven culture views times of rest as a sign of weakness or laziness, but winter…
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