2011

[bl]T[/bl]he crucified Jesus calls us to a life of dying. Dying to anything that doesn’t lead us into righteousness. Anything that doesn’t glorify God. When we take up our cross and follow Jesus – I mean when we really follow Jesus – we will experience death. Death of expectations. Of social habits. Big girl dreams. Cultural practices. Selfish desires. Practical decisions. Responsible choices. Death is certain, because we can’t follow Jesus where he’s going, while traveling the same path we’ve been walking. I remember the pain of these first deaths. I remember fighting it, resenting it, looking back and longing […]

Our family gathered with the Stockmans for a spontaneous evening of coloring eggs. [lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Easter8-e1303525994420.jpg”][/lightbox] [lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Easter7-e1303525951472.jpg”][/lightbox] Children, eager to help, to hold. [lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Easter5-e1303570033490.jpg”][/lightbox] [lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Easter4-e1303525774520.jpg”][/lightbox] [lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Easter6-e1303525885171.jpg”][/lightbox] These soft white eggs are gently wrapped in colored silk and immersed in water and vinegar. [lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Easter3-e1303525711850.jpg”][/lightbox] Funny how this Easter tradition of dying eggs involves vinegar. For it was vinegar that last touched the lips of a dying Jesus. Stained. Beautiful! [lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Easter2-e1303525684210.jpg”][/lightbox] [lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Easter1-e1303525593431.jpg”][/lightbox] And so are we. Stained. Marked by the blood that covers our sin, and gives us life. Stained. Gently wrapped in grace, immersed in […]

[bl]F[/bl]or so long I thought the point of being a Christian was to go to Heaven. That Heaven was the goal, the Promised Land waiting for those who believe. And the way I live on Earth mattered because it determined my entering of this place where God is present. But as I read the story of God’s chosen people, I know that God is present in this place where we walk with feet of flesh. And his promised lands of freedom are possible now. That how we live and relate now doesn’t just determine our future, it becomes our present […]

[bl]W[/bl]e’ve been invaded. By a virus that has lingered and sucked the energy right out of us. And by fear, an even worse enemy that sucks you of everything, stops you right in your tracks, and keeps you from living. Advil has helped. Wine has numbed. But only true healing comes from The Healer himself. Though I’ve had to sit at his feet and wait, God has been faithful to give me words of encouragement that calm my spirit and remind me that healing is near. Our days of illness were filled with a lot of quiet. Not the quiet […]

[bl]W[/bl]andering. This verb implies lack of direction and intention. Aimless traveling.  An interesting word choice to describe the desert journey of a people being led by their Creator. But remember, the story of God is told by people. These chosen and delivered people. It’s their stories – their God inspired words – that we read. And they must have felt like they were wandering. As if God had rescued them from one unfortunate reality and placed them in another. Hunger hardly seems like freedom. A place deplete of resources can’t be the route to a promised land of milk and […]

[bl]I[/bl]n our Lenten silence, I sit among my young and can’t help but know that my sin is so much uglier than theirs. The fear. The selfishness. The wastefulness. The pride. The unavailability. The practical over faithful. The discontentment. My long list of sin hinders me. Keeps me from understanding. Prevents me from living faithfully… …but then there’s the cross. This rugged piece of wood that holds a man and my sin. And all things become possible. In my brokenness, the life giving death of Jesus makes it possible for me to be whole. To live whole. We say that […]

[bl]O[/bl]h, I want so badly to share a different list today.  You know, the one that’s easier to make. The one whose shameful tally far exceeds 1,000.  The one that propels me toward fear and resentment, rather than faith and gratitude. The gifts were not counted and the grace was not noticed. By me. And so I’m humbled that at the very end of the week, he gives me a moment. One moment of grace. But in this single moment there is much to be thankful. #101 Sitting alone, #102 though with Christ I am never #103 The strong breeze […]

[bl]I[/bl]n the quiet, our eyes are on the cross. And I can’t help but think of my sin. Our sin. The reason for the cross. And I find myself once again in the story of Israel. Like Israel, we are a people who live in bondage. To media, food, sexual desires, power, work, money. We are held captive by the things that feed the flesh. It was their stomachs – a genuine need for food – that led the Israelites to Egypt. What if Jacob’s family had trusted in the Lord to provide for them during the drought in Canaan? […]

[bl]I[/bl]n the quiet, I’ve been remembering the Jesus I witnessed in Africa. The God that suddenly got bigger. I’m recalling images that were new to me, that reflected a more truthful God. See with me as I share these vibrant, living, truthful images that forever changed my understanding of the God I serve. A God who embraces and empowers women. [lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Embraces-e1302030428137.jpg”][/lightbox] A God that doesn’t contain his creation. [lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Leopard-e1302030534721.jpg”][/lightbox] A God who births new life in a family seeking to serve Him. [lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Birth-e1302030284113.jpg”][/lightbox] A God faithful to his promises, especially on unknown roads. [lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IMG_3273-e1302064607990.jpg”][/lightbox] A God […]

[bl]L[/bl]uke shuffles into our room, unable to sleep. I half sigh, half smile. When I take my mother apron off at the end of the day, I look forward to my treasured time with Mark. We cling to those late night moments of togetherness. So, it can be frustrating when all the children are restless and unable to find sleep. But, when it’s a single child who is held awake by thoughts or dreams or fears, Mark and I enjoy the rare opportunity to focus our love on just one. Luke crawls between us in our bed and we begin […]