21 Again!

It’s my second twenty-first birthday. I’m a whole lifetime away from the girl who sat drinking woowoos at the Chili‘s in Manassas the first time around. Four years later I would be exhausted from my sin-soaked lifestyle and I’d move to Richmond to pursue a God-centered life. Surprisingly, I discovered Christian Angela was still a…

Growing

I’ve got lots of little seedlings sprouting in peat pots on my kitchen counter right now. It’s not time to put them in the ground just yet; we’ve got almost another month until the last danger of frost. But I’m hopeful I’ll have good, strong, seedlings to go in the soil by the end of…

(Dis)Unity

Do you ever look at the disunity in the church and wonder what the heck is going on? Why do some Christians espouse only grace and mercy without a whisper of repentance, while others yell about the judgment of God; failing to soften the blow with the equal force of God’s unfailing love and forgiveness?…

Yes, We Can

There is very little we can actually control. I think we all feel the truth of that these days; as we watch yet another catastrophe unfold; as we hear of loved ones gone far too soon; as those leading our nation seem to be, at best, asleep at the wheel. And people are so stinking…

Making Room for More

I’ve never been what you’d call “outdoorsy”. I think nature is beautiful, but don’t ask me to camp. I don’t do bugs. I don’t enjoy peeing outside. I’ll hike to get some exercise and take in some scenery, but I don’t feel the need to commune with the woods any longer than I have to….

It’s a Wonderful Life (or it can be!)

I just watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” for the first time last night. I know, I know. I think the opening scene with blinking stars talking to each other put me off enough to change the channel in the past, but they were talking about how…wonderful…it was on my favorite podcast so I decided to…

Merry Christmas, Jerks!

We are quick to put others in boxes these days. We’ve all been guilty of it. We’ve been judged and been found wanting. We’ve judged others just as mercilessly and decided they aren’t worth our energy anymore. You’ve been a jerk to people this past couple years. Unless your crowd is thoroughly tight-lipped with their…

Come What May

Maybe it’s the fresh air from the open window and the bright beauty of hot pink roses spilling over the neighbor’s fence. Maybe it’s the sunlight dappling the yellow and red and brown and green of fall leaves. Maybe it’s the perfect cup of coffee and the coziness of the throw blanket I’m snuggled under….

This Appointment

This past year and a half has taught me some things. Mostly that human nature hasn’t changed much. But also that God is faithful and good even when the world is basically a dumpster fire. I think a valid word for many over the last eighteen months would be “disappointment.” I can personally relate to…

Peace and How To Find It

Do you know where anxiety comes from? FAKE NEWS. Turn on any news channel, and see if you aren’t ordering Life Straws from Amazon five minutes later. This world has a lot of terrible things going on and there’s no shortage of people who want to tell you all about it. Much of it is…