Category: shield maiden

I have been surrounded lately. Do you ever feel surrounded?

It can be a good thing, or bad, depending on what is surrounding you. I’m betting, though, that the word conjures up a negative response when I mention it. It feels like a hostage situation when you read it; countless movies and TV shows have used it:  “Come out, we’ve got the place surrounded.”  Doesn’t exactly feel like there’s a massive crowd waiting outside to give you high-fives and presents, now does it?

Though I can quickly list many people and things surrounding me that are good, this past week or two has felt like an onslaught of issues, situations, and even people, that have been instrumental in making me feel as though I have been surrounded by attack.  The onslaught for the past 10+ days has been exhausting. In situations like those, sometimes you simply need to triage: prioritize what is essential, and leave the rest. Continue reading “Speaking Truth when Surrounded” →

What does Peace  mean to you?
The cessation of all hostilities? The end of human suffering? Resolution to conflict?  Ending war?

Maybe reconciling with a friend that you’ve been fighting with.  Maybe for your toddler to finally go to bed.  Or maybe just a good book, a cuddly blanket and some quiet?

We all want some peace (and sometimes quiet). We hope for hostilities near and far to end.  We wish for an end to our worries, and an end to struggle. Continue reading “Reconsidering Peace” →

Several months ago, I felt a nudging to reengage on my blog. I felt that I’d been given the previous year to focus on further developing the Armory Journal, and that now I was being nudged to move my focus toward bringing this website back to life. I was excited to do it, and I started working on all kinds of prep-work. I promised myself that I didn’t have to start actively posting right away, I just needed to keep moving forward.

But after a while it felt like I was doing a whole lot of prep work but for no real results. I felt like I needed to have a lot background work, such as a load of pre-batched writing, all ready to go before I pulled the trigger. I wanted it to be awesome, right out of the gate. Continue reading “Defeat hiding in Hesitation” →

I have plantar fasciitis in both feet, and I have to admit that I’ve been lazy about treating it. It’s an injury that occurs in the tendons that run through the arches of your feet, and it can be really painful. Have you ever stepped on a small hard plastic toy in the middle of the night? Maybe because it was unexpected, or because you’re half asleep, but in that moment the pain feels so unreasonable. It’s amazing that LEGO is still in business because it has been cursed so vehemently by so many delirious parents in the wee hours.  Plantar Fasciitis kinda feels like that – but nonstop. Continue reading “Spiritual Plantar Fasciitis” →

“They did what was right in their own eyes.” It appears in scripture over and over. I used to gloss over this phrase, briefly imagining people doing terrible things while justifying their actions to themselves. I would imagine people behaving selfishly, hurting others, stealing, lying, cheating and worse. And, surely, these things did happen.

But it struck me that many who were “doing what was right in their own eyes” may have actually been trying to do good things. Service, generosity, philanthropy, even worship. Plenty of “good people” trying to do “good things”. But good intentions, as we know, can often pave the way to things and places we do not want.  Continue reading “Right in your own eyes” →

I found a raccoon in my car.

I don’t know about you guys, but I have lived way too much of my life disconnected from the truth of how God delights in me. Not that he’s delighted in everything that I say and do, but he loves me so dearly that he delights in me, in spite of my imperfections. I know the people probably say it so much that it’s really just a cliché anymore, but becoming a parent has taught me so many things about my relationship with God–things that I just either barely had a vague concept of before, or simply didn’t know at all. Continue reading “Car Rodeo” →