On Getting My Hopes Up

I might be the biggest idealist I've ever known. Even if I'm just stopping by the store, I get excited about who I could see there and what the experience could be like. Maybe it's part of my design to be hopeful. But I live on earth. And it's beautiful here, but it's broken, too. So hopes can…

On Reading My Life’s Story

I have this strange habit of staying up until at least midnight because I want to see the memories Facebook saved for me in the "On This Day" app. I've been using Facebook since I was about fourteen, so there's some cringey gold to be found. But I was also deeply depressed for a little…

A Peek at My Daily Poems

I write a free-verse poem every night as a way to express and process, as well as to have some kind of creative discipline. For the past month, my poems have often ended up putting words to what the Holy Spirit is teaching me. I don't normally consider sharing these little poems because they are such vulnerable, exposed pieces of me. But…

Another 100 Things to Look Forward To

I am thrilled to have written another list of one hundred things to look forward to. These are not just trivial lists I create in attempt to make me feel better about the future. These lists are a pair of corrective lenses for me; they awaken me to all the joys yet to be had in…

There Is More: On Gratitude

I've been keeping gratitude lists for around three months now. Ann Voskamp shared undeniable evidence in her book, One Thousand Gifts, that joy comes from gratitude, evidence I just could not argue against. I don't know why I wanted to argue, why I didn't want to believe there was a key to joy; maybe I thought it was too…

It’s Temporary: On Darkness & Time

I was in the deepest darkness I had ever experienced. I called it the dark room. I felt trapped within myself, the walls pressing against me on each side, no light to be seen. I believed there was no way to escape, that I was to remain there, without feeling and without hope, for the rest of…

“They’re Not a Christian Because _____”

"That person says they're a Christian, but it doesn't seem like it, because they--" Wait. Can we talk for a second? What makes someone a Christian? We could have different perspectives on this, but I think most would agree that a Christian is someone who seeks to know and love God, and accepts His grace through Jesus.…