House on the Rock

I could sing of Your love forever your grace that set me free your relentless pursuit of my wayward soul - willing to fight for me. I could sing of the way  you saw  me at my worst and yet still, reached out your hand drew me in to Your firm foundation, a solid place to stand. I could sing of the times  that I turned my back yet you never left my side. I deserve to dwell in the depths of Hell but you give me your Vine to abide.  God, I was so far from You I wanted nothing to do with your word Then I was sung your gospel of mercy -  the most beautiful song I have heard. My relentless desire to sin met your unwavering passion to save and the flesh-serving heart of my past was sentenced to life in the grave. Now I walk in Your way everlasting -  my soul longs to gaze at your face No longer to stare at the sin that entices O thank you my God for  your grace. 

I am currently living in Fishers, Indiana while I complete my student teaching. Which, by  the way, is taking place virtually  due to the global pandemic. Which, by the way, is lasting way, WAY longer than I ever would have wanted or expected. I'm so stinking bummed. Constantly  fighting discontentment, longing for a classroom filled with students, questioning how the Lord's goodness could be at hand when  social distancing drives wedges in learning and the mental health of students takes hit after hit and everyone's going crosseyed from hours of staring at a screen. It feels like the storm is dragging with no end in sight. One day last week, I came home after eight hours of Zoom school and went for a run. Desperate to move my stiff and aching joints, I decided to try out a new path that wove through the suburban neighborhoods of Fishers.  I had no map, no GPS, no phone, no idea of where I was headed. I figured the neighborhood was probably just one big loop and...

(Wrote this for a staff meeting devotional for my internship @ RP and thought I'd share- This is challenging my  heart today and everyday!!!!!!) I remember flying over the Himalayas for the first time. Captivating. A massive expanse. Seemingly eternal ranges with peaks nearly parallel to my window seat on a small propeller plane.   I marveled at it, breathless, speechless, lost for words… and then about two minutes later I had returned to my Sudoku puzzle, drifting in and out of sleep, unfazed, occasionally flipping through some pictures in my phone. A girl in my aisle who didn’t have the window seat leaned over and said, “I can’t believe we’re flying over the Himalayas and you’re playing Sudoku.” Embarrassed at first, I was actually shocked by my actions. How did I become indifferent so quickly? How did I go from such awe to such numbness where a Sudoku puzzle grasped my mind more than the divinely spoken Himalayas?     I think this is the danger I so easily run int...

For seven months now, I have been lovin’ A man who does not ever preheat the oven. A man who spends months thinking about thanksgiving, Delivers food on his bike for a small summer living. He’ll sing in the car, he’ll call without warning, He’ll make his bed first thing in the morning. He loves watching chiropractors work on YouTube And can quickly complete an entire rubix cube. He talks about math and he knows long division, He doesn’t shy away from making big decisions. We have had over a year’s worth of talks, Deep and life-giving, on sunny trail walks. His heart is pure and his motives sincere- He’s the only person I’ve ever heard pop his ear. He’s an athlete, he sings, he’s dreamy and smart, He giggles when I accidentally fart. He writes me sweet poems, he plans picnic dates, He never gets mad when I always run late. He’s humble, not stingy, flirty and sweet, He’s always excited and MAN, can he eat. He brings out my best side, pushes me to ...