Environments of grace. Isn’t that what we all want? Isn’t it what we need? But more often we find ourselves critiqued. Our behavior, appearance and choices evaluated. Our performance measured. Our intentions judged. By peers, employers, and neighbors. By the expectations of our culture, and the perfection projected in magazines. Even by friends and family. And most often (and most destructive), by ourselves. Environments of judgment stifle us. Our insecurities dominate. We make mistakes. We don’t grow. We don’t learn. We look for escape. We seek self-improvement. And we’re never enough.
Jesus is a different kind of environment. He is where people are welcomed. Fed. Healed. Touched. Forgiven. Blessed. He is where people belong. Grow. Learn. Change. Thrive. Live! He is an environment of grace. It oozes from his love, seeping into our crevices that are dirty, embarrassing, and unattractive. It suffocates our unworthiness and breathes life into our spirit – the very spirit of God.
As the body of Christ, we become the dwelling place for God’s spirit. His temple. We are the environment for his grace to manifest within the world God’s redemptive love. Our homes, our families, our conversations. Our very beings. All environments of grace.
This virtual dwelling welcomes God’s Spirit to grace the words and images communicated.
Environments of Grace: what do they look like {for those coming home}?
My friendship with Shannon started with an email about how and where to get your hair highlighted in Uganda — you know, the important details about missionary life. We started emailing each other as her family prepared to move to Uganda at a similar phase of life as we did. They seamlessly connected to the people and culture, and continue to live and work within a ministry they are passionate about. Any length of time living in another culture changes the way you experience your culture of origin. There’s an awkwardness, a re-adjusting, a frustration, a comfort, as you engage […]
What the Camera Doesn’t Show
If this one and only snapshot I shared on Facebook is all you knew about our three days away, you would not get a clear picture of how our getaway went. This Instagram is not deceptive. I was indeed sun kissed. I was many times over husband kissed. And I really was a happy girl….in that moment. But what the camera doesn’t show is the rain we arrived to. And the down pour we woke up to the next morning. What the camera doesn’t show is the constant cloud coverage and continual rain showers that hijacked the entire first day. […]
A Few of My Favorite Things {this Spring}
[bl]I[/bl]t took a long time getting here, but I dare say Spring has come at last! This sun deprived girl is pale and ornery, so I’m counting all the things I’m enjoying right now as I get reacquainted with the warmer weather and brighter days! Last year I shared a favorite things list, so I thought I might start a tradition and do it this year too. 1. My Matilda Jane ruffles I hope ruffles stick around for awhile. They’re feminine and sweet and make me feel all girlie. Matilda Jane clothing offers great quality for a not so great price […]
Environments of Grace: what do they look like {in the darkest place you’ve ever been}?
When you live across the seas in a place like Africa, you treasure the people who take the time and money and energy to travel to where you are. And even if those people travel to see your teammates, and not you, you STILL treasure them! We are thankful for people like Danni Langston and her husband who experienced Uganda, and the culture and people we love so deeply. It will always unite us. Danni’s grace story teaches us to be available to people when they just can’t be available to themselves. May God give us the eyes to witness […]
Environments of Grace: what do they look like {for the mother of a special needs child}?
Ann Ehlert is a new friend. We find ourselves connected through Jesus, blogging and our sweet friend Courtney. Ann and her husband, Greg, live an intentional life of ministry within their family and a broader community. Her story is one that teaches us how to receive and respond to the realities of others in ways that bless and encourage. And ultimately, sometimes our environment of grace comes when we, ourselves, extend grace to the people we need it from. Slowly but surely I have been learning how my black and white thinking is not loving or accepting. As children, we learn many […]
Fear {the contraceptive of the soul}
I sat there in the movie theater proud to be Fun Mom after a long month of being Distracted Mom. 5 kids sipping on frozen cokes and stuffing their faces with popcorn drizzled with fake butter. I am SO fun…sometimes! As it turns out, the Croods are a cave family who live in the dark to stay alive, fearing all things — particularly anything new, and especially the light. Interesting, I thought. My weary soul from this month’s events had me wondering if it was coincidence or divine intervention that I was watching this particular animated story. Fear keeps us […]
Environments of Grace: what do they look like {in a temporary storm}?
I’m excited to share with you a grace story by Kristan Shields. She may tell you she doesn’t craft words well, but let me tell you that she speaks them to people faithfully! She is free with words of love and encouragement to the people in her life. And it teaches me. I love her story because it’s a simple story of grace. Not this extravagant struggle that required extravagant grace….but a very normal struggle that so many hearts will connect to. And the environment of grace God provided for her was simple…and yet isn’t ALL grace kind of extravagant? […]
When Your Resurrection Hasn’t Come Yet
Don’t lose hope. For God’s story never changes. It’s always one of life after death. But maybe you feel like you perpetually live on a Good Friday – where there’s struggle and surrender — a day we can only name Good in hindsight, in the knowing of what was to follow. Or maybe you have lived a long time in the day after. Where there’s grieving for what was and waiting for what is to come. And it never seems like Sunday will come. It never feels like the grave will go empty. For you, who longs to live life […]
Environments of Grace: what do they look like {for the infertile couple}?
Lara Brazle shares her story with us today. A story of how God’s people became an environment of grace for her and her husband David during a time when they needed a safe place to discover how God resurrects life after being told life wasn’t possible. She’s a beautiful, honest soul and I’m thankful for her family’s witness of who God is. Our story of grace starts in a little room at an urology clinic. It was a day of hope turned grey, as our dreams of having children biologically were dashed. After a couple years of infertility, we had […]
Dear Mark,
Today we get to celebrate you. Lucky us! I think back on all the provisions God had to make to bring your life together with mine. He sure is faithful. And good at soul matching. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and while I create my morning coffee, I look out the window to see all your hard work of redeeming the land, our red barn tucked to the side, and the path that leads to my parent’s house. I look over to the kitchen table we designed together in Africa, and see our five rainbow children circled around […]
Trod Upon Us With Triumphal Entry
With branches of palm they welcomed him. A crowd receiving their Lord. No chariots. No trumpets. No robe. No carpet. Just a donkey, the cloaks of friends, and proclamations of those who believe. Not the expected entry of a King. But the Son of God doesn’t seek grandiose receptions. Only genuine welcome. And so we lay down our garments, we lay down our life. This is how we welcome you. In the submission of our will. And we lay down our cut branches in hopes you will graft us into you. This is how we receive you. In the knowing that you will receive us. And […]
It’s Our Cross Too
When winter lasts so long, it only makes me anticipate Spring even more. With greater fervor, with deeper longing. It reminds me of the years in Africa when after a year of separation I would anticipate someone’s arrival or my departure with such intensity that I would nearly burst with excitement. I miss that feeling. But every winter I re-visit a similar anticipation. As I reach my winter threshold and ache for the sun to warm my face and grass to grow up between the toes of my children. It’s a wonderful feeling. We all turn a little giddy in […]
Praying to Trust You Today
Some surrenders are harder than others. Like this one. I made myself vulnerable to you. Decided to trust you in something that’s always felt safer to control myself. Oh, I’m sure to others it looks as if I’ve handed this over to you. And in many ways I have. I’ve prayed, I’ve listened, I’ve discerned, I’ve acted. All in genuine faith. All with a desire to invite you into what is already divine. Kind of funny, I guess. But I’ve never been comfortable completely surrendering this sacred part of me. Yet, you knit me together, you know me better than […]
A grace story to share?
Environments are powerful. They affect who we are and who we become. They can empower or shame. They can feed or starve. They can forgive or judge. They can heal or deepen wounds. Jesus is a different kind of environment. He is where people are welcomed. Fed. Healed. Touched. Forgiven. Blessed. He is where people belong. Grow. Learn. Change. Thrive. Live! He is an environment of grace. It oozes from his love, seeping into our crevices that are dirty, embarrassing, and unattractive. It suffocates our unworthiness and breathes life into our spirit – the very spirit of God. As the […]
When Your Environment of Grace Makes People Feel Left Out
Lydia Jane turned 10 on Saturday. We had a super special week planning her celebration together. We share a love for design and all things fashion. It was clear from the start we make great party partners! The most special part of planning a party {to me} is creating the guest list. Because in my hospitality heart, the party has everything to do with the people, and very little to do with the cute table { I always enjoy setting}. But….the guest list can also be complicated. Because in my hospitality heart, the question I always ask is How can […]
The Forbidden Gumballs {and the fall of Tessa and Myles}
I walked in after being gone for a few hours with the almost birthday girl. She took our purchases to the dining room where we’ve been making things pretty to celebrate. She quickly returned with a half empty jar of pink gumballs. The very pink gumballs I told the four children we left behind NOT to eat. Tessa? Myles? Where are you? I called out in my not so happy voice. Two littles appeared sheepishly into the kitchen. Did you eat the gumballs I told you not to eat? Their eyes got really big. Tessa gave me some so I […]
Snow days are for…
Sleeping in {after plowing all night} and peeking out the window when you first wake and catching big snowflakes and warm crusty bread and stopping to be thankful and reading favorite books and anticipating a special day and preparing for it to come Don’t forget to stop and notice what’s going on around you in this very moment. With the snow covered ground, the messy home, the children present, the days slower. I want to remember all these sweet days. For they are passing ever so quickly.
Environments of Grace: what do they look like?
I’m looking for writers who can sketch in words and stories what people and places who inhabit grace look like for the writer’s particular need for grace. Have you been in a situation where grace was what you needed and God provided it for you through a person, or a home, or a new culture, or a family, or a job? We would love to hear from you, learn from you! What was it about the way this person related to you, the words they spoke to you? What was it about the way the house held you? Or […]
an act of vulnerability
Surrender is the word I’m praying through this year. To live more committed to this arms raised, palms out posture to life, there’s a searching of my soul and a seeking of my Father. I want to know what it is I need to surrender, what I might need to die to or give up in order to live more faithful to His purposes. I’m good at clinging tight to what I like. I actually think I have really good ideas, so what’s the harm in living them out, right? Well, let me tell you something….Africa was not my good idea. […]
Better Love
Today in our house we’re talking about what would help us love better. If we write those things on wood hearts and paint them all red and pink….. it makes the conversation more enjoyable, right? What hinders our love? What makes it flourish? These are the questions we are asking. How about you? How can you better your love? What do you need to practice or surrender or hope in so your love will abound? Happy valentine’s Day from us to you. May God’s love be made more perfect in you.
Everybody wants to {be} love{d}
It’s a catchy tune. But the words are even better. If there’s a theme song for our adoptions, this is it. The song of our heart, the words we want to proclaim: Everybody, everybody wants to love. Everybody, everybody wants to be loved. It’s Gospel, really. God is love. And everyone born of God is created to love and be loved. And if we don’t, and if we’re not, then we are incomplete. Not whole. Broken. This is the life of an orphan, the life of so many hurting. Those not experiencing embrace are missing out on the very thing they’ve […]
Awaken Your Spirit
Eight years ago I started fasting regularly as a way to make myself available to God. These fasting days and weeks have changed my life and relationship with the Lord as we’ve listened to each other, really listened. I am always humbled by God’s faithfulness to meet me in my hunger. For so long I thought the point of fasting was to replace eating with prayer. I had done one, two and three day fasts with this objective and didn’t experience anything that compelled me to pursue this as a spiritual discipline. It wasn’t until I endured my first week […]
I’m asking {are you?}
I’m asking the questions that cause their cheeks to flush and their eyes to roll. They really have no concept of what I’m asking, they can only imagine with their naïve minds what those situations might be like. They don’t even have ideas or images projected from movies that would help form a picture. Currently, all they know about these broken situations is from these little intentional conversations I initiate. But the discomfort or embarrassment is inherent in these questions because sinful humanity still hides it’s nakedness. Have you ever been in a situation where you have been afraid that […]
when you don’t know what to pray
Speak these words: May you be made known Then listen. Watch. Be available to whatever God reveals about him, about you, about whoever or whatever you’re praying for. This is the true spirit of prayer. Seeking God, and praying for him to be made known in all people, in all things. Prayer is not for speaking something into existence. It’s not for hoping things go your way. It’s not for spiritual language that makes you feel like you’ve done something. When we pray, we are communicating with our Creator in the love language of our souls. It doesn’t have to […]
Praying Grace Today {again}
Oh that your grace might chase me. Into my selfishness. Into my pride. Into my control. Oh that your grace might cover me. My sin. My ugly parts. My insecurities. Oh that your grace might teach me. Of love. Of forgiveness. Of renewal. Oh that your grace might lead me. Into the pain of others. Into uncomfortable places. Into your perfect will. Oh that your grace might show me. Hope. Faithfulness. Affirmation. Oh that your grace might humble me. To listen. To learn. To sacrifice. Oh that your grace might reveal. My strengths. My courage. My gifts. Oh that your grace might help me. To be vulnerable. […]
and we were never the same
His name is Myles because we traveled far to love him. Not just with our feet, but in our hearts. When we stepped foot in Uganda, it wasn’t to adopt. It wasn’t to visit. It was to live. For four years, inhaling the thick dusty air that would breathe life into our family. Authentic life. Not the comfortable one we grew accustomed to. Not the clean one we spent hours maintaining. Not the one full of American dreams, and self-fulfilling expectations. No, this life was dirty. Messy with poverty. Broken with countless needs, the real kind, the kind where people […]
38 Hallelujahs {from my 37th year}
My God has been faithful to me this year, and he is deserving of my praise. In my moments of joy and in the broken parts that humble, may my story be lived as a hallelujah to God. Truths revealed in our marriage A story unfolding The name I’m learning to love A three year old boy full of life and ability Our new environment of grace A husband who values redeeming the land A nine year old girl who expanded my boundaries and taught me to love Going to some hard places with the Lord A son finding victory […]
How {not} to be Grace Giver
When your daughter trips on a toy and spills coffee all over your table and rug, don’t jump up to grab paper towel and leave the little offender crying on the couch in front of a room full of people. When your five year old is acting sassy to you, don’t turn around and do the same thing back at her. When someone eats an ingredient you need for a recipe that night, don’t stop your foot and scream that everyone in the house is working against you. When someone shows you something he’s excited about, don’t point out the […]
We are Grafted In
My post on discovering holiness through my growing love for sweet Myles is featured over here today. Pop over and check out We Are Grafted In, a blog site that is connecting adoptive families. Thanks!
For Eternal Good {more on marriage}
The truth that this two becoming one is for eternal good was an aha moment in our marriage, the understanding we needed in order to focus on what was really going to transform us. For so long we had been trying to appreciate and engage his needs-my needs and how we can work toward satisfying one another in love. Yet the true longing of our hearts is to be fulfilled by the Father, satisfied by his love. If we listen to this heart cry, we will take our needs and attention to the author and perfecter of our faith. And […]
the truth that is setting our marriage free
They sat there in all their twenty something beauty, holding coffee and sharing stories. And I sat their held captive by their genuine hearts and dreams. I’ve heard it’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do, she said. The other one looked at me with her hopeful unmarried eyes, Is it? Is it the hardest thing you’ve ever done? Hmmm….I wanted so much to respond in a way that keeps it real, but shows the wonder. Marriage. It’s complicated to communicate the complexity of two becoming one. It’s unique to all other relationships. It’s covenant. It’s constant. It’s eternal, because even […]
To Disarm {Myself}
I’ve named 2013 A Year of Surrender. Choosing the ways of God, more than my own. Choosing less in the flesh, and more in the Spirit. Moving away from instinct, and toward discerned living. I want to learn how to surrender to love. For my husband, for my children, for those who have not. I want to learn how to submit to the needs of others. To a future that I cannot anticipate. To the hope that in all things God intends to make me more like him. Surrender is not something I’m good at. It’s not something my country […]
A Healing Home
I savored the sweet Christmas days of husband home, seven* upstairs sleeping, children creating, the couch holding us often, the mornings starting late, frequent visitors, and a messy home. And just when I began anticipating the days of the new year, my body surrendered to a virus. The aching from head to toe kind. I stay in bed. I surface only to satisfy my role as chef and referee. But mostly I rest. In my loud, active, busy home I wait for healing. I want the kind of home that heals. That gathers the hurting and nurses their wounds. And […]
A Year of Surrender
It’s difficult to anticipate a holy God. Because his ways are so different than our ways. We want higher, he wants humble. We want fast, he wants eternal. We want an easy destination, he wants a holy journey. We want to fix, he wants to redeem. We want perfection, he wants a genuine heart. We want for us what we think is right, he wants for us what he knows is good. My pray for this coming year is that I abandon more of my ways and embrace more of His. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, […]
These Are the Moments {they will remember}
We gathered as a family for 11 conversations. There were countless distractions. An antsy five-year old present for each one. A few nights where we played catch up. And little messes to stop and clean. But we did it. And I’m thankful. As we talked about what it means for Jesus to be born into us, right now, in all our current realities, we spoke confessions of jealousy. Of stubborn pride. Of the desire for human compliment over godly affirmation. We invited God to enter relationships and insecurities and abilities. We wondered together about what God wants to give us […]
Merry Christmas
Christmas unveils our joy and our pain, for Light doesn’t only shine on what is good. It illuminates our whole being, it exposes all that is true in us. As we celebrate Christmas, Jesus being born in us — into all our realities — may we learn how to humbly embrace all that his life delivers. And whether it is joy you experience this Christmas, or deep sorrow, may his life birth within your Spirit something new. Something divine. Something for you to celebrate. Merry Christmas!
somewhere in between
That’s where change happens. In between what you think and what I think. In between what she said and what he said. In between that opinion and this opinion. When national tragedies happen, we hear a variety of both knee jerk and thoughtful responses that open up dialogue. This can be frustrating…and good. It’s frustrating to hear extreme opinions and defenses in a time like this. It’s frustrating that most of the dialogue happens on Facebook where we can’t see expressions and genuine spirits. It’s frustrating that we spout opinions without taking the time to seek the Lord and discern […]
praying for you to be born {today}
Death is not your story. It’s the reason you came near to us. The reality that birthed you as a savior to bring hope to this dark world. And we believe in this hope. We grasp for it in moments like these when the darkness is just too much to bear. Children? Really? Come on, Lord. Surely there was something you could have done! Free will. I get that. I love that about your creative design. It’s the greatest expression of genuine love ever witnessed. And yet, I know you as an intervening God. Active in this world. Colliding with […]
what I want to give my children
More than anything else, I want to give my children truth….for Christmas….for all their days. Truth, in what they hear me say. Truth, in how we live out our story. Truth, that comes from knowing the One who created them. And when they argue, I want to give them this truth: Words soaked in love are always more powerful, always more fruitful. And when they feel misunderstood, I want to give them this truth: I want to understand…but when I don’t, be certain that Jesus does. He knows you completely, spirit and flesh. He understands the depths of your soul. […]
They Teach Us How to Welcome
This week in This is How We Welcome, we are looking to the people who first welcomed Jesus into their world. The role they played and how they received the baby that would offer hope to a broken world. We can learn from them and find encouragement from their examples. Are you willing to expand and stretch like Mary to become a womb, a safe environment for Christ’s life to grow? Are you able to be like the animals, and witness God’s deliverance in others? Or to be like Joseph, and the way he trusted God in a story that […]
Gifting {with a heart of hospitality}
Tis the season of giving and receiving. The very heart of hospitality. And knowing how to do both with grace is a gift in and of itself. I love to give gifts. My favorite ones to give are the I saw this and thought of you ones, given on normal days. Just because. I also love gift wrapping. It’s kind of silly to make a fuss over paper and bows when they’re merely untied, ripped off and usually thrown away (unless you’re my sweet grandmother who saves every bit). Above is a picture of the fun I had in Michaels […]
Heartland Hospitality
There are very few shows worth writing about. Heartland is one of them. It’s a Canadian TV drama, loosely based on the Heartland books by Lauren Brookes. We started watching it last year on the recommendation of the dear Stockman’s. We love the story we’re living, but we also enjoy getting lost in fictional stories together, extracting truths and discussing the examples of love and struggle witnessed between the characters. The backdrop is beautiful Alberta. The environment is a family farm. And the interaction happens between a family and their community. And if that’s not enough to grab my attention, […]
Be Awkard
There’s an uncomfortableness when initiating meaningful moments. Not sure why. But surely you know the feeling I’m talking about. The moment when you want to pray for someone, but you hesitate because it feels awkward. Or when you think it would be good to take a conversation to a deeper level, but you’re afraid others won’t join you. Or you gather as a small group and you hate to interrupt the social, and you’re not quite sure how to transition to the devotional. Maybe these moments are awkward because we wish they would initiate themselves, naturally occur without us trying. […]
Advent Conversations
If you’re looking for an intentional way to welcome Jesus into your heart and home this Christmas, I share with you these Advent thoughts intended to initiate heart talks between you and God, and with those you celebrate. Experience Christmas new through welcoming Jesus to be born — not just in a manger, not just unto the world — but born into you and all your joyful and broken realities.
Preparing your Heart and Home for Christmas {An Advent Devotional}
It really is the most wonderful time of the year! After a national chorus of gratitude, we slip into the magical days of Christmas. When the music we play is delightful. And the spirits of people are more cheerful. When our thoughts are turning toward others. And hope seems a little closer to reach. The world may think it’s mere tradition that infuses these days with joy. But we know better. No matter how hard it is to find baby Jesus in the stores we frequent. No matter how much the American consumer culture tries to dominate. When God’s people […]
Reaping What We’ve Sown
There’s a harvest to reap on this earth. And we are the laborers. Sowing seeds of love and grace. Praying for the Giver of Life to nourish and grow. Gathering believing hearts to be welcomed at the feast. We’re always sowing, whether we realize it or not. The question is What are we sowing? Are we planting seeds of judgment that turn people away. Are we planting seeds of bitterness that take root and choke out life? Are we planting seeds of division that hinder and block the Light? Or are we planting seeds of hope that offer promise to those […]
How to Harvest Love
To harvest is to gather. To recognize what is ripe and to collect and enjoy the fruits of a season. And then we feast. We let the sweet and savory crops satisfy us. And we give thanks for what’s been given. Oh that we would be a people who do this with love! That we would recognize this fruit of the Spirit that has grown and ripened in the season we’re living right now. That we would collect our experiences and memories of the love given and received. Of the seeds planted with grace, and the witness of love growing […]
God Has Elected His People
Together with our disappointment, our hope, our rejoicing, our confusion, our faith and our fear, we start a new day. The sun has risen and the common language we can speak is love. And thankfulness. And praise. So let us come together after months of division and separate thinking, and celebrate the citizenship that unites our spirits, that transcends this earth. We are one! One body, one people, under the name of Christ and the residence of Heaven. If the world sees us as divided, they will not trust us. If the world witnesses our hate, they will not recognize […]
Praying for You to be Known Today
In the way we communicate Truth. In the way we speak to strangers. In the way we live out love. In the way we talk about people. In the way we give of our resources. In the way we disagree. In the way we show hope. In the way we raise our children. In the way we remain faithful to our covenants. In the way we approach brokenness. In the way we seek and offer forgiveness. In the way we enter into injustice. In the way we respect the other. In the way we live and relate, I pray your […]
The Masks We Wear {every day}
They’re scary. Because they powerfully shape us. They influence the way we behave and relate. They hide our real self. And they trick others (even ourselves) into thinking we’re people we aren’t. You know the ones I’m talking about, right? Like the “Everything’s Okay Mask” that hides what we’re really feeling. That disguises our hurts. Because we don’t want to burden people. Or feel weak. Or be vulnerable. Or how about the “Mask of Beauty” that hides almost anything because of its powerful influence in a culture where beauty is upheld as an idol. And then there’s the “Mask of […]