Simplifying… me

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne [...]

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2020 can be summed up in one word: weary.
We are tired. Global economies are struggling, COVID cases are spiking, rumors of a “second wave” and more lockdowns loom overhead, and there doesn’t seem to be a finish line in sight for this marathon we’ve been running.
Besides COVID, lives have been marked with cancer, illness, death, [...]

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When I consider Christmas – when I think about all of the traditions, decorations and planning that goes into this highly anticipated day – I realize that deep at the heart of it all is faith. The kind of faith that believes a child came, a Savior died and resurrected, and a King is returning [...]

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Today is the first day of Advent.
We are waiting.
We are hopeful.
We are expectant.
Our world is in chaos.
We know there is a promise…we are living for that hope.
But sometimes the darkness seems too dark, and our hope dwindles.
But…
God is with us.
It was a really long time ago…the world was also in chaos.
A prophecy came.
The Lord spoke [...]

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“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23
Hold on.
When I think of what it takes to hold on – to endure, to press on, to persevere – the word tenacious comes to mind.
Tenacity is defined by Merriam-Webster as: the quality or fact of being able to [...]

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“The Lord blesses his people with peace.” Psalm 29:11
Last month I wrote about endurance: staying in the race even when our bodies feel like they are going to give way and give out. Running all the way to the end…to the joy…fixing our eyes on Jesus…and crossing the glorious finish line at the end.
We are [...]

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Stay in the race.
You do not want to watch me run a mile. I promise. It’s painful for me to run a full mile, and I am confident that it would be equally painful for you to watch. My dad is a runner, my sister is a runner, and I am a wannabe runner. I [...]

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My natural instinct is to boast about my strengths. Show you the best of me. Be strong. Be independent. Impressive. Controlled.
But…there are days when my weaknesses get the best of me: insecurities resurface and create fear, a sleepless night with a sick child leaves me weary for the day, challenges before me look bigger than [...]

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“Where he leads me, I will follow.” – E.W. Blandly
Only a few weeks ago, messages from the American Embassy had become a regular and consistent presence in my inbox. Updates from the Malawi government were an ongoing alert in every social networking group I am a part of, and most of those messages appeared to [...]

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We just finished eating dinner. The kids are washing dishes and doing kitchen clean- up while Joel gives Jasper a much-needed bath.  I’m sitting here in our living room taking a minute to collect my thoughts. It’s been a full day, even while quarantined on our compound. In between all the activities of the day, [...]

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