You know the feeling: you’re listening to another woman share a powerful testimony, and your heart sinks. There’s some jealousy there, but it’s more than that. You feel guilty because you should be happy for her, disappointed you’re not experiencing the same victory, and angry it’s taking God so long to answer your prayers. Maybe […]
When We Quit Praying, We never Expected This:
Last week I wrote about how we quit praying before meals (you can read that here if you missed it). That decision left us asking “What do we do now?” The gaping hole at the beginning of meal time made conversation awkward, so we bridged the gap with a question from a deck of […]
We Quit Praying before Meals. What Happened next Surprised Us All:
If you’re thinking “She’s gone off the deep end this time”, let me explain: For the last couple of weeks we’ve been talking about rhythms of attention. (here’s an explanation and an example from our family if you missed those). Many other rhythms flow from this one. Reading the Torah daily prompted us to […]
It Felt like a Punch to the Gut. It Turned into the Best Mother’s Day Gift Ever.
A few months ago I wrote about the time God told me to get a life. It felt like a punch to the gut. Later I realized I wasn’t the only mom who felt like she’d lost herself. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you’ve sacrificed to be there for your family, and later felt […]
This Will Destroy your Life. In the best possible Way.
Last week we talked about how people who aren’t creatures of habit (but crave some order in their lives) benefit from rhythms of attention. If that’s you, you can read it here. There’s one rhythm of attention that forms the foundation for our family. I can’t think of a more subversive rhythm to build […]
Habits alone Won’t Make You Highly Effective (but this Will)
Can you relate to this scenario? My kids are supposed to develop good habits. And I’m supposed to lead by example. But the truth is, habits aren’t my strong suit. Making certain decisions once and for all sounds so freeing. But the reality of doing things the same way every time is soul-crushing for me. […]
I Cried out to God in my Disappointment. His Reply Took my Breath Away
Last week I experienced a seemingly trivial disappointment. But it was something I’d prayed for for decades, and we specifically felt God leading us to pursue this final opportunity. When the answer was “no”, it was really “never”. Devastated. In everything we’ve been through over the last year, I never cried myself to […]
This will Leave you Scratching your Head
(don’t forget that you can tweet any text in this post simply by highlighting it) At one point during our crazy journey overseas, I noticed a nit on my son’s hair. Suddenly being homeless and unemployed in a foreign country seemed manageable compared to stopping a lice outbreak without access to a washer or dryer. […]
Do You See Dead People?
(Did you know you can tweet any text on this blog just by highlighting it? Try it for yourself!) When it comes to Passover, there’s too much. Too much love, too much anguish, too much joy. It’s easier to go numb than confront all that blood and power and beauty. So every year, a few […]
Does Your Family Have one of These?
Saying I’m not a fan of extra stuff would be a huge understatement. When I wrote to you about paring our possessions down to one backpack each, I wanted to convey what a blessing it was. But there are some things I want everyone to have. Here’s one of them: God wants to give […]