Invitations to Holy Conversation

I’ve been trying to write this devotion for weeks. I thought maybe I’d write about this or that, but nothing seemed quite fitting. My brain feels like cotton balls, all mushy and soft, not able to form complete thoughts. The thoughts are fleeting, like two dragonflies chasing each other on air waves.I thought, “I’ll go for a long walk,” which usually helps align the puzzle pieces. Sunday was a beautiful “fallish” day. My dog, Landy, and I walked our normal long path. I…

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Bottling the Magic

I remember this day five years ago when my husband and I were traveling in Alaska. We had just finished a sea kayaking trip out to a glacier, and we had been fortunate enough to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience of actually paddling up to land that had been uncovered by the melting glacier and being able to dock and step out. We sat there, drinking hot chocolate, on land no human had ever stepped foot on before us. Boating back, the sun on…

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Birthday Reflections

As I write this, I’m celebrating my 29th birthday, enjoying donuts and a latte on my couch. Last year, I celebrated with 25 of my friends, playing games together and all munching on a giant kitchen-island-turned-charcuterie board. COVID-19 has changed so many things, and it has been a year of challenges and struggles, currently feeling pandemic burnout and an ever-present anxiety monster looming.I’ve been reflecting on a specific phrase recently: God of the mountains and of the valleys. I heard it on the…

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Sorry for the Mess

I think I’ve heard “Sorry for the mess” a thousand times throughout my life already, and I’m only 28. I remember my mom frantically rushing us kids to vacuum, wipe down the counters, put laundry and toys away, and hide all our mess before any company came over when we were growing up. We complied, of course, but why did we have to hide the fact that we lived there? I understand wanting a clean house, and sometimes having people over helps motivate…

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Glass and Plastic Balls

I tend to laugh when someone says the word ‘balance.’ “How do you balance work and personal obligations?” seems like a common question, like there is some secret we’re all searching for. One day we’ll discover in some dusty booby-trapped cave the answer to managing working out in the morning, getting the kids to school, walking the dog, checking off all the to-do lists at work, eating a healthy lunch, remembering all your appointments, prepping a delicious dinner, and taking some self-care in…

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Continue in My Word

October is finally here, and I boldly declare fall to be my favorite season. It feels like a refresh and a reminder to slow down, both of which I need right now. I have been enjoying the cooler mornings, wrapping up in a blanket while it is still dark out and lingering over my pumpkin-spiced coffee. It’s in these minutes I reach for my Bible, being intentional about my time with God rather than reaching for my phone for distraction. The burdens of…

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This Daily Bread

One of my favorite artists to connect with on social media is Lori Hetteen, a Minneapolis-based self-described “haikuish” poet. She is witty and gentle in the same breath, and her work usually makes me pause. However, the other day, her work stopped me in my scroll and a single sentence lead me straight to a revelation. Her art shares: “And for how long, love?” “I can only say for now. And now, and now, and…” In the caption under the image, Lori writes,…

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Wonderfully Made

I recently posted on the Luther Heights Facebook page some wildflower photos I took around camp this summer. Gorgeous purple prairie shooting star in the meadow, pink and yellow columbine off a trail at Lake Alturas, and Indian paintbrush mixed in with other wildflower friends of yellows and purples. When I visited a friend in Glacier National Park in July, I was also amazed by all the wildflowers tucked among the rocks and grass, peaking out from snow patches and under trees. Thriving…

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