I didn’t grow up practicing Lent, or any other practice of the Christian Calendar. Over the last five years as an adult, I’ve come to appreciate the value of these sacred practices. This year, I wanted to give up something for Lent but really struggled in my decision. I eat fairly healthy, so giving up some sort of food didn’t really make sense. I gave up Facebook last year, and thought it was weird to give up the same thing two years in a row. As I prayed about what to fast

Some days are really difficult for me to get out of bed in the mornings. Days like today, when I have to get going before the sun is up, I am sore from a long run yesterday, and I haven’t spent enough time resting. In order for me to get through the day, I have to focus on finding joy in the “small things”. Some days, this is easier to do than others. Today, I am grateful for the pain in my muscles, which reminds me that I am fortunate to be able to exercise and have a health

A few happy moments that may or may not be gracing the walls of my home. Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Tell a friend #Community #joy #peace #Personal

Let’s keep going, joy doesn’t let up. For today’s thoughts on joy, head over to Mary Demuth’s blog. She posted 25 verses on abundance and joy. My favorites? 3. Isaiah 55:12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” 16. Ecclesiastes 9:7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. 22.

Life is full of little decisions. Am I going to get out of bed, or hit the snooze button? Cereal or eggs? Return the phone call now, later, or never? How do I respond to that comment? What am I going to do with my anger? Do I manipulate to get my way, or choose grace? Do I call, or let him call me first? Do I empty my work inbox, or update my blog? Do I let this friendship go, or do I take the challenging road and stay? How many thousands of decisions do I make each day that

Today’s Joy is written by Ruhiyyih Rose MacBradaigh. I have known Rose for several years, and we have seen each other through dozens of life’s ups and downs. If you struggle to believe in miracles, please ask me about my friendship with Ruhiyyih, because our relationship now is nothing short of a beautiful work of the Holy Spirit. I asked Rose to write a post about Joy not only is she more entertaining that I am as a writer, but I have seen her take sorrows and turn them into

The following post was written by Alissa, a woman I consider to be remarkable. Alissa is a close friend of my brother’s, and I had the privilege to get to know her and her family a few years ago. She is an accomplished photographer, capturing weddings, portraits, and even the Minnesota Vikings. For all of the pain that Alissa has seen in her life, she daily chooses Joy. I have great admiration for her and asked her to contribute a post to the “Joy” series. You can read more f

Joy in…purpose. In 2004, I bought an awesome chair hammock while visiting Guatemala. I carried that blue chair, with its ropes, wooden poles, and striped cloth, creatively attached to my backpack through multiple homes, buses, and airports. Over the last six years the blue hammock has traveled through many states, several places of residence, and met nearly twenty roommates. Unfortunately, amidst all of its adventures, the one thing that the hammock failed to experience was t

Joy is… moving forward. I wrote on the last page of my journal last night. The journal that I began in January, 2004, on the first day of my study abroad experience with Bestsemester.com. Six years, I’ve been writing in the same notebook. It’s a five-subject notebook, and even though I write a lot and often, I somehow managed to extend its life. I don’t like to waste things, see, so I would use every line, not leaving any lines empty. Both sides of each page are full, there a

The Top Ten Things I Learned From A Weekend With Former Housemates: 10. You can put a piano on wheels and play it on a street corner 9. It’s a lot more fun to be silly in a group of people when others are being silly with you, and weddings do not mean that silliness goes out the window 8. “Monk Fish Puller” is an actual job title 7. When I laugh hysterically for hours, I will end up with a headache instead of tears. 6. Taylor, the Latte boy will never cease to entertain 5. We

Part 2: Work This summer was one of the best times of my life to date. With no steady employment, I was forced to depend daily on Christ and rest in His great love for me. My faith grew immensely as I knew that I was a loved child of God who wanted to care for me. Along with that, I had to acknowledge that His idea of caring for me and my idea might be a little different. While fully knowing there are millions that are unemployed and struggling for every bite to eat, I was fo

Check out this awesome story of God’s greatness and celebrate with Matt and Ruhiyyih in their engagement! Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Tell a friend #joy

Let's go fly a kite! I went to Nebraska all last week to visit my family. We had a great time. I talked my parents into buying a $3 kite, and it proved to be good fun. As a result, we got to go that night to the park’s observatory and check out Saturn’s rings through the telescope. The rest of the week I enjoyed coffee shop internet, new piano music, and hearing my sis play the guitar. Add in a few movies, and lots of reality TV, and I had myself quite the restful holiday. No

Career v. Calling Job v. Vocation What can I do with this moment? If God has called me to something, nothing in the world will stop that from happening. Pray. Don’t force life to happen. Experience. Journal. Engage in conversation. I’m busy thinking about a lot of things these days. Nothing new, I suppose, since my mind is always traveling faster than my body. After a conversation with a friend over dinner last night, I was reminded of some of the thoughts above. Did you know