Found: A Sally Lloyd Jones Giveaway

Found: A Sally Lloyd Jones Giveaway

Like Kara, I am a huge Jesus Storybook Bible fan. I read it to my children daily, and it’s a given that I will cry every day as we read it. Sally Lloyd Jones is incredibly gifted in drawing out the gospel throughout the entire Bible, starting from the Creation story, and her ability to explain God’s redemptive plan in such simple yet stunning language brings me to tears no matter how many times we read through the book. My children recite with me now: God’s Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love! That in and of itself makes me cry! One of my all-time favorite stories in the book is the one based on Psalm 23, so when I found out that Sally (may I please call you Sally?!) and her unbelievably talented illustrator Jago were coming out with a sweet little book just with Psalm 23, called Found, I could hardly wait.

Kara’s Collection: The Keeper

Kara’s Collection: The Keeper

from an article originally posted June 10, 2014...

I am the keeper of the smells, the sweet salty bedtime smells. I have an internal record of fears that need to be gently shepherded and braved. I collect the memories of the small moments and the victories. I know the edges of the relationships that need prayer and kindness. I move through moments collecting, keeping, naming treasuring moments. Not simply the happy moments, but the broken moments. I keep them, and in the quiet just before sleep I retell them.

For Those Who Feel Exhausted

For Those Who Feel Exhausted

Guest post by Rebecca VanDeMark

Yesterday, I walked out of my bedroom, carrying my IV that I was doing an infusion with, to grab some more water to take some additional meds. I was exhausted walking the short distance; I sighed as I filled up my cup at the sink. Looking out the window, I glanced across the street at our neighbors’ house and noticed activity in the front yard. Less than a minute later, it became obvious that in the snow, my neighbors were trying to construct a ramp from their driveway to their stairs. As I stood there watching, it started to rain and I watched these three people struggle to construct a huge ramp.

Kara’s Collection: The Fault in our Stars Review

Kara’s Collection: The Fault in our Stars Review

from an article originally posted June 10, 2014...

A kind group of women joined me last night for a big cry. With tests approaching, I have been feeling all the edges. I felt like a big cry was in order. I knew enough about this movie to know it would deliver. I had not read the book, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I just knew it was about cancer. So I was fairly certain someone would be dying.

Wednesday Bookclub: Befriend, Chapters 10 & 11

Wednesday Bookclub: Befriend, Chapters 10 & 11

Chapter 10: Befriend Dysfunctional Family Members This chapter spoke to my heart, and I hope it does to yours as well. Sauls talks in this chapter about how God designed his church to be a family—how he is our father, and he invented the family structure! We crave relationship and we need relationships. We need parents and siblings and grandparents. But so many of us have broken family relationships or grew up in dysfunctional families. Many of us were abused and cannot be in relationship with those abusive family members. And yet, we are not alone in these painful situations; Sauls pointed out that Jesus’ own earthly family had serious issues, just like so many of ours!