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Learning to Lean: On Walkers and Worship
An old man. Muscles previously sinewed from hard labor and long hikes have atrophied. Hands once tanned and leathered from daily chores shiver in too-thin sheets of papery skin. His broad shoulders declare that he was once a champion wrestler. Now, slightly stooped, they denote him a determined worshiper. He stands. Perhaps he wobbles a… Continue reading
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Don’t Know What to Post? Try This!
To my dismay, my Instagram algorithm has been showing me influencer content—not content by influencers, but content aiming to help users become influencers. With increasing frequency, reels pop up in my feed with captions like this: “Don’t know what to post today? Try this!” or “Not sure what to share? Use this trending audio.” These… Continue reading
algorithms, blog, blogger, blogging, books, Christian writer, content creator, data cow, digital, digital content, digital platforms, digital writing, instagram, pressure to post, publishing, puritan wisdom for the digital age, Reading, reels, social media, thomas brooks, writer, writers as content creators, writing, writing in the digital age -
Why Say the Lord’s Prayer Together?
At the church where I work, we say the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday as a key part of the liturgy. At the church where I am a member and my husband is Lead Pastor, we have started saying the Lord’s Prayer as a way to conclude our services. This has been met with mostly positive… Continue reading
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Accepting My Undone To-Do’s
Anyone who knows me knows I never go anywhere without my planner. If it isn’t in my purse, it’s siting open on my kitchen table. I never schedule anything without consulting it to prevent double-bookings or missed appointments. I jot down my passwords, grocery lists, and blog ideas in its margins. Every day I work… Continue reading
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The Goodness of Gardening Friends
“All my flower beds are filled with this ivy,” I texted two of my friends this afternoon. “Should I pull it or let it be? It’s pretty but seems to be taking over…” I snapped a picture to accompany my text, hoping as I sent it that my friends would reply, “Oh, that’s a rare… Continue reading
author, blogger, blogging about gardening, Christian friendship, church friends, faith, faith and friendship, faith and gardening, flowers, friends, friendship, fruit of the Spirit, Fruitful Worship, fruitfulness, garden, gardening, gardening and faith, gardening lessons, goodness, honesty, iowa, Iowa life, lawn, learning, midwest living, nature, pulling weeds, spirit-filled singing, weeds, writer, writing, yard work -
Review: The Story of Grace
I returned from a much-needed vacation in Arizona to the best sort of mail: book mail! The first book I dove into was The Story of Grace: An Exhibition of God’s Love by 19th-century Scottish poet and pastor Horatius Bonar. This reprint of a Christian classic provided marvelous devotional reading, particularly for the beginning of… Continue reading
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Early Christmas Gifts + Road Trip Entertainment
Happy Thanksgiving week! Since this week marks the start of the Christmas season for many of us, I wanted to share a few recommendations to get you in the holiday spirit and—for those of you who are traveling—to help pass the hours. In the spirit of early Christmas, I’d like to give you a few… Continue reading
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Review: “Ecclesiastes: Finding Meaning When Life Feels Meaningless” by Lydia Brownback
Ecclesiastes: Finding Meaning When Life Feels Meaningless is part of Crossway’s Flourish Bible Study series. The series author, Lydia Brownback, is an accomplished writer and conference presenter. Accordingly, she writes like a speaker—with a friendly and clear tone. She distills biblical information into an understandable and applicable format, making this study on Ecclesiastes a great… Continue reading
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Post-Election Reflection: “Return to the Gate”
My women’s Bible study is walking through Esther, which is a political tale if there ever was one. Covert plots, the rise and fall of leaders, executions, royal edicts, justice—this little book has it all! As we discussed chapter 6 today, I was struck by the following verse: “Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate.… Continue reading
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Review: “What is a Healthy Church?” by Mark Dever
What is a Healthy Church? by Mark Dever was first published in 2005 and the 2024 revised edition just came out—testifying to the continuing need for books on church health and the continuing influence of this book in particular. What is a Healthy Church? is part of the IX Marks series, which identifies and exposits… Continue reading
author, Bible, blogger, Book, book review, books, books about the church, Christian book review, Christian books, christianity, church, church health, church membership, crossway, Crossway book review, crossway book reviewer, crossway books, expository preaching and church health, IX Marks, Jesus, mark dever, New Book Review, new release, nine marks, pastoral books, Reading, reviewer program, revised edition, theology, what is a healthy church, writer, writing -
Book Review: “Send: Loving Your Church By Praying, Giving, or Going”
In Send: Loving Your Church by Praying, Giving, or Going, pastor and church planter Jim Essian identifies God’s vision for his global kingdom and helps Christians discern how they and their churches are equipped to fit into this vision. From sweeping panoramas of international missions to practical advice for serving our local communities, Send is… Continue reading
author, blogger, Book, book on church planting, book recommendation, book review, book reviews, books, Christian book review, Christian book reviewer, christianity, church planting, church planting book, jim essian author, love your church, love your church series, reviewer, send, send by jim essian, the good book company, writer, writing -
11 Lessons from 11 Years of Blogging
My favorite number is eleven, so it seems fitting to celebrate my eleventh blogging anniversary. Here are eleven little lessons I’ve learned from blogging: You never know what a blog will become. I registered for WordPress because I didn’t know GoodReads was a thing. I planned to use my blog for book reviews, but now… Continue reading
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