As a choral educator, I know the power of singing rounds. All learn a simple melody, repeat it over and over, and when the round begins, groups of people sing the same song at staggered times. I remember singing this round as a teenager, memorizing Scripture with song: Seek ye Read more
I detest being in conflict. Relational conflict keeps me up at night. I run past conversations on repeat in my mind, ruminate on words I might say tomorrow, and kick myself with guilt for what I did or didn’t say today. When someone disagrees with me, my knee-jerk response is to Read more
As I live with chronic illness, my body forces me to listen to symptoms of unpredictable flares. Sometimes, my symptoms force me to cease striving (Ps. 46:10a NASB), to rest, to be still, as I use all the therapies doctors suggest. My calendar and to-do lists are wiped clean until symptoms subside. Read more
The day COVID-19 shut life down became my best day of 2020. But it sure didn’t feel like it in the moment. We silently gathered for a hushed emergency faculty meeting: “Prepare for an imminent, sudden shut down.” I walked down the hall, swallowing tears, to bravely face a class Read more
Going back to school in a pandemic brings up all the feels, doesn’t it? Uncertain, weary, sad, hopeful, scared, excited, overwhelmed…simultaneously. We bravely want to transition well for our kids and health of all. On top of this, we continue to live with our financial, relational, and health challenges. We Read more
We’re living in masks, hiding, covering up, protecting ourselves and others from an unseen virus. Emotions are running high. But what infects us from day one? Our inborn sin pervades everything (Rom. 5:12). No wonder our fallen world is infected with a pandemic and chaos. We wear masks with each Read more
Are you experiencing a new, even desperate, yearning for intimacy with God? Maybe it’s just me, but this pandemic has given me a deeper longing. Written for those experiencing discouragement, attack, and loneliness in exile, Isaiah 35 describes my longing well…maybe it will encourage you too. Five S’s leap from Read more
Singing Christ’s hope into suffering includes singing of heaven as He releases our grip on this world. Before the Lord graciously drew us to Himself in Christ, we had no hope and were without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, we have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:13 ESV)! Read more
I’ve realized that we teachers continually gaze to future. We create broad learning outcomes for students in our care and then artistically sculpt logical and detailed plans for every month, week and day. We become creators, molders, shapers, and potters who can visualize future beauty in each student as we Read more
Crisis threatened once again. Frightened, she prayed, “I am so scared. Lord, show me how to pray. I need You. I need Your guidance and wisdom. I need Your rescue. Please help me. Comfort me.” I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning Read more
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