Amidst the shelter at home quarantine, I received a very interesting question via my Instagram. Even though it’s been months and we're all in different parts of the country with varying plans for re-opening, many will ponder different aspects of her vulnerable question. “Jen, I know you are passionate about creating community and biblical ...
I could barely contain my excitement. Waiting with as much patience as my eight-year-old self could muster, I’d been counting down the days until I could visit my brother at youth camp. Long before cell phone days, his minimal postcards showcased all his adventures as a counselor and he promised me the same. Familial greetings out of the way, my ...
I’ve been staring at a blank screen for hours. With tensions soaring and our immediate future unknown, there’s so much noise. With the push and pull of voices, statistics and graphs, declarations and dissension, I'm hesitant to be one more voice throwing words to the wind, yet our quarantine has evolved quite differently than most. When our ...
Everyday I look into a mirror -- once, twice, if not multiple times a day. But after last week, I will never look at my reflection the same way again. For five days, I was part of a ministry team that deep cleaned apartments for struggling families in transition. Yolanda, a single mom of two boys, was one of the residents, and while we were ...
Stowed away in our attic, I dusted off my high school diary. Paging through memories of old, I am instantly transported to a time in my life when school, friends, boys, and parents triggered to-do lists and declarations, resolutions, and remorse. A time when affirmation was currency and attention was the payment. Years have passed since those ...
Have you started singing “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” yet? Admittedly, I’m a humming machine right now. The sights, sounds, and nostalgia of the holiday season have drawn me in, and my senses are celebrating from the simple pleasures. As I snuggle in my cozy blanket on the sofa, candles flicker on our kitchen table, twinkly white ...
In the middle of Aldi’s frozen food aisle, I did church. Right in between the tater tots and frozen peas, I almost missed it, but I’m so grateful I didn’t. I've spent the last few years studying the theology of hospitality, and I’ve begged the Holy Spirit to heighten my awareness on the topic. After four decades of following Him, I’m having my ...
I've been pounding on my piano keys a lot lately. Yes, pounding them hard, wrestling with sadness and questions and frustration. Creating beautiful music isn't my goal. His glory is the goal and praising Him in the middle of pain is my desire. I'm compelled to turn my worry into worship even when the enemy is trying to chase me down, but it's ...
Sometimes I forget. Sometimes in the midst of church life, I just do and forget the who. I forget the why and do not rest in His because. As I talk to people who have left the local church, I get it. It's easy to become disillusioned and frustrated, disconnected from unmet expectations, but regardless of the reason, my heart grieves. Scripture ...
Summer is in full swing, and I'm stuck finding the balance of being a fun, spontaneous, and carefree mom and struggling with the daily challenge to purposefully engage our children's hearts and minds amidst their expectation of total relaxation and lots of screen time. Yes, our kids have more free time on their hands, and I have lots of work ...
