Embracing Freedom: A Legacy Builder
Spring is here. Trees are blooming and life feels more vibrant. Warmer temperatures have loosened up my dormant muscles. There is a lightness in my spirit that is hidden during winter. There is a freedom to just be and love and grow that lacks credibility in the dark,...
The Art of Going First
Take baby steps. Step out of your comfort zone. Have courage. You never know until you try. I wonder if you have heard or said these exact phrases to yourself. When you say these words out loud have you wondered whether you actually believed the words you were telling...
Sacrifice and Longing – Lent Reflections
Sacrifice and longing. Beginnings and endings. Hesitation and certainty. Despair and hope. Darkness and light. Lent takes us on a "both/and" walk to the cross. We may face so much darkness, but it breaks into the most magnificent light. There are days when fear...
Equipped and Empowered to Live Life Fully
As 2022 was drawing to a close, God began pointing me in a new direction. For the duration of my writing life since 2012, I have written words of encouragement, worked to deepen my faith and hopefully yours, and shared real life in the context of who God is and who He...
Boarding the Freedom Train – My One Word for 2023
There are many people who choose a word for the year as a way to focus and center their growth. I joined the practice of choosing a word for the year in 2015 and have remained fairly consistent in this practice. Last year's word was "light" and as I evaluated choosing...
Invitation to a New Year of Hope
Reflections on a year gone by led me to today. I ended last year immersed in the gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love. Annie F. Downs challenged me to determine what it would be like to carry these gifts into the new year. And since then I cannot get that thought out...
Making Space for Advent Living All Year
January 1 has come and gone and a new year has dawned. New year, new you posts are popping up everywhere and encouragement to set goals for the new year is a big part of our newsfeed. I am not looking to adopt a list of innovative things to satisfy the many new year...
Advent 2022 – Liturgy of Adoration
In one week, we celebrate the arrival. Jesus is coming! The newborn Savior of the world. Today we bow low and adore Him. We humbly ask for Jesus to remain in our lives beyond today as we celebrate with the liturgy of adoration. We sing in our clearest voices, "O Come...
Advent 2022 – Liturgy of Expectation
The third week of Advent is already here. In the first two weeks, we explored the invitation to join Advent, and the preparation, and now our focus turns to the liturgy of expectation. During the first two weeks, we turned our gaze upon the details and the...
Advent 2022 – Liturgy of Preparation
Welcome to Week Two of the Advent season. Today we will explore the liturgy of preparation. Before moving on, I hope and pray you invited someone to join you on this journey. This year I invited my grandkids and kids to take part in gaining a new understanding of...
Advent 2022 – Liturgy of Invitation
As a nine-year-old, I couldn't wait for my first official birthday party. My mom and I planned and prepared weeks ahead of time. She taught me that even before we chose the party games and food for the party, we needed to write out the invitations. For it is in the...
Making Space for Coming Home
It was one hug in an airport. A safe landing in the middle of a tumultuous journey home. A familiar face that split my heart wide open in a sea of weary travelers. This was all it took for that deep breath to make its way throughout my body. This was the invitation to...
Making Space for Worry
I'm wondering right now what you are thinking after you read the title of this post. Are you wondering what in the world is she thinking or are you curious enough to keep reading? Making space for worry goes against the mainstream of our culture. It pushes us in a...
Making Space for Rest
It's amazing how when you crave a specific thing, you begin to see it pop up everywhere. 2022 seems to carry a theme of rest for many people I know. After two years of pandemic, unrest, uncertainty, and all the other things happening in your life, 2022 is the perfect...
Making Space for Grief
Making space for grief was not part of the plan. Watching grief bump up against my ordinary life was not the way I thought it would go. Grief is messy, hard, and never quite leaves once it takes root. When grief settles in and takes hold, your life changes in ways...
Hi, I’m Mary!
I’m also a woman seeking God in the ordinary routines of life.
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