When the breaking was done, I grabbed a broom as others started picking up the bigger pieces. As I swept, a whole host of emotions unexpectedly rose within me. The cleaning up part seems harder, takes longer, has more potential for getting unexpectedly hurt.
Category Archives: Faith
It Is Well With My Soul
Horatio Spafford had a choice. He could respond with anger and rage and turn his back on God. And maybe at some point those emotions crossed his heart. The legacy he leaves behind, however, is a response based on his deep faith. He responded in a way that lives out a knowing of Jesus’ words in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”
Perspective
Time in the woods is always healing for me. I took a familiar path down the trail, off the trail, and by the stream. This time I saw something new.
Go Back to Go Forward
We’re doing the best we know how to do. We take the cards we are dealt and do the best we can. And some of us have been dealt some pretty crappy cards. Some of us have personal and extended family histories that include abuse, extreme poverty, infidelity, divorce, addiction, emotional abandonment, family secrets, untimely deaths, crime, instability, and a whole host of other stories. Our family stories influence who we are and how we are in the world.
And they do not have to define us.
Book Review: The Wounded Healer
The Wounded Healer reminds me that my painful experiences in life do not have to be hidden.
Book Review: One Faithful Promise
I’m not sure how long this book has been on my shelf. I’m not even sure where it came from. It’s small, about the size of my hand, and thin. Not much to it. And yet it for sure packs a spiritual punch. One Faithful Promise, by Magrey R. deVega, is a must read forContinue reading “Book Review: One Faithful Promise”
Book Review: The Grace-Filled Life
The Grace-Filled Life: 52 Devotions to Warm Your Heart and Guide Your Path was something I picked up several years ago, intending to maybe use it for a small group or something. This year, however, I tried to commit to reading only books already on my shelf, and this was one I wanted to get to.
Book Review: John Crist’s Delete That
As a pastor with 7 kids (John is one of 8 kids with a pastor father), I learned some lessons on how to love my children better and how to help them feel seen and heard. Those were good lessons for me. I was also reminded of the beauty of the church when we embrace the real selves of those around us (not the masks we wear).
Present Over Perfect Continues
This year, I’m using the Present Over Perfect Guided Journal. I read Shauna Neiquist’s Present Over Perfect book when it came out a few years ago and so much of it just connected with me. When I saw she had created a journal, I knew it was right for this season of my life. The journal has smallContinue reading “Present Over Perfect Continues”
The Invitation in Front of Me
This year, I’m using the Present Over Perfect Guided Journal. I read Shauna Neiquist’s Present Over Perfect book when it came out a few years ago and so much of it just connected with me. When I saw she had created a journal, I knew it was right for this season of my life. The journal has smallContinue reading “The Invitation in Front of Me”
Rev. Kris Mares 