We began this new year with a new experience. Groupmuse has recently come to Portland. What started on the East Coast as a group of musician friends playing music together at each others’ homes, has now opened up as an invitation to the community to come listen to beautiful music in nearby homes. Here’s the… Read More Connecting Over Music
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17 ESV Thanksgiving is a sweet holiday. It’s a time to pause in reflective thankfulness to God our Father. It’s a time to enjoy family and friends… Read More Thankfulness
A year and a half ago I was scouring the internet for resources to help us as we prepared for Silas to enter kindergarten. I was specifically looking for help from believing parents who utilized their public school while intentionally shepherding their child’s heart towards Christ and imparting a distinctly Biblical worldview to their child.… Read More Christians Parenting Through Public School
One year ago on July 1st we moved into our home here in Oregon. We were warmly welcomed by our neighbors and were immediately incorporated into the community’s Fourth of July bike parade/party in the park. Can’t wait for this year’s Independence Day celebration! On our one year Oregonniversary we drove to Cannon Beach with our… Read More Oregonniversary
Christ’s death and resurrection are the crux of our faith. So, for the past couple of years I’ve been thinking about how we can celebrate a Christ-focused Easter. I wrote about the beginnings of our Easter traditions last year. Stephen has reminded me many, many times that he doesn’t want us to force traditions into… Read More In Search of Easter Traditions
There is more More than all this pain More than all the falling down And the getting up again There is more More than we can see From our tiny vantage point In this vast eternity There is more Our hearts were awakened to music and emotion through the art of Andrew Peterson. We began… Read More The Stories Are True
Valentine’s Day is a holiday I like making a big deal about for the whole family. I want my family to know they are loved, and I seek to teach my children that loving others is a high priority for us since we are so well-loved by God. His love should motivate our love for… Read More St. Valentine’s Day
This is the farm on the eastern shore of Maryland where my mom grew up. In my mind, it will always be “Pop-pop’s Farm,” although my Pop-pop has been gone for over six years. I have many happy memories of this place. I remember the feel of the patches of velvety grass in the back… Read More My Happy Place
After we moved to Portland, I came across a blog post–via BrownSugarToast–encouraging readers to pick three words when entering a new season. Since I was so obviously beginning a new phase of life with our recent 1,300 mile move, it was helpful to think through what my goals might be as we transitioned to life in the Northwest. These words… Read More Autumn Revelry
Our days in the desert are coming to an end. After just 11 days on the market, we sold our home! We accepted an offer on our house that, by God’s generosity to us, was above our asking price. Our days are filled with expectant hope for our new life in Oregon. But, for now,… Read More These Last Arizona Summer Days