I want to share a little more about me to give context for the offerings here. My design, my redemption, and my journey with God has directly shaped the work I am called to. The spiritual direction and prayer retreats I provide, the images I create, and the reflections I write are shaped by Who I am. So—I am an introvert, creative, big picture thinker. I married my husband, Mark, in my early thirties. He is different from me in every way, just as orange differs from blue. I h

I few years ago I tackled a new project. I wanted to create a drawing in leather. Leather craft involves cutting a design into leather, tooling, and staining. I had not done leatherwork for over 20 years but had an idea for what this could be. My beginning cuts into the leather were hopeful as the image took form. For the next stage, I began tooling the leather. This involved hitting metal tools, smooth and textured, with a mallet to impress the leather creating depth, patter

Life is good and beautiful—it is also complex and hard. God's grace and love is present daily, and I am deeply grateful. I experience my longing for God, deep faith, and a passion to align with His purposes, but I am also aware of my own weakness, my selfish bent, and my desire for comfort. Sometimes life feels more tangled than not as I collide with the chaos and evil in the world, or I get caught in the places within my own heart that still need God's transforming hand. The

When you live with someone you come to know them quite well. In day-to-day life you experience their character, integrity, and capacity. This knowledge shapes your perspective and trust. In Sunday school this fall one of our classes will focus on Jesus' encounters with people in the gospels through the practice of Lectio Divina. For our first passage of Scripture we focused on the wedding in Cana in John 2 where Jesus performs his first miracle. Jesus, his first followers, an

A couple weeks ago I was reviewing a conversation and I noticed how "careful" I had been. I was "care-full" to choose my words and my tone. I started mulling. To be full of care: concerned, intentional, thoughtful. But then I became curious "Why am I careful?" If I am honest with myself, sometimes my motivation is pragmatic. I want the meaning of my words to be heard, and I want to be understood. That can be beneficial for good communication. But sometimes my heart is self-pr

As a mom I want my girls to think well and critically. I seek to teach them to make choices that are thoughtful and aligned with God's ways, so they can live with skill... with wisdom. But I want more for them. The Scripture gives us guidelines for life. Proverbs is known as the book of wisdom, and it is filled with treasures. God's commands throughout the Scripture are designed to protect us and honor his creative intent and goodness. But good thinking and alignment with God

I bought a plant. Now that might be a predictable purchase for some, like my mom. Plants thrive under her care. But no one in my household would buy me a living plant—it is not likely to survive. I like cut flowers, because they have a limited shelf life. But I wanted a plant in my spiritual direction room. The fake ones were pricey and unattractive, so a couple weeks ago I stopped at Lowes to peruse the “living”options. I saw an attractive plant, an Arboricola, that had a ye

The Scripture says, "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). What happens when I pause to attend to God, to listen, to simply be still before God? What would take place if I did not  control my conversation with God with a multitude of words (however meaningful and important)? When the inevitable onslaught of distractions comes what would emerge if I relinquished each one, turning my attention back to God, again and again? If God is inviting me into silence how do I e

The air is cool but the heat from the fire is warm against your skin. Your feet are still damp from climbing out of the boat to join Jesus on the beach. Your memory has been captured by the replay of the miraculous catch of fish three years before. Peter drags the net ashore as Jesus asks you to bring some of the fish to his fire, the fish that was far from your net just a short time ago. (John 21) Imagine yourself as a disciple of Jesus... sitting on the beach, watching your

Early this summer we embarked on a renovation of our garage to create a designated space for me to offer spiritual direction in our home. The room was completed in June, and I am currently meeting with directees in this space. I am deeply grateful for God's provision and look forward to companioning here. For those of you who have renovated your home, or a part of your home, you know that the process can be challenging. It is filled with vision, discernment, cost assessment,