Unoffended
“Great peace have they that love thy law and nothing shall offend them” (Psalm 119:165 KJV). Let me tell you about some things I have not gotten offended by: My toddler g... »
Marie Alvero
The most true thing
One of the big challenges we face today is managing our expectations. What do we use as a gauge for a life well lived? Everything from the styling of our pantry to the tr... »
The Joyful Heart
As followers of Jesus, “grateful” should be our default setting when we consider that Jesus died to redeem us from an eternity of being separated from God. This should pu... »
Lord, Teach Us to Pray
Recently I received a call from my daughter, who was a few hours away with her friends; they were going to attend a concert. They had excitedly purchased tickets months i... »
The Bible and You
A few years ago, I determined to read the entire Bible, cover to cover. I loved discovering the symmetry between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Many of the grea... »
Sync with the shepherd
I was on a Zoom call talking to a coworker. Her work was a mess; she was not keeping up, and it was impacting her customers and department. “Tell me what’s going on,” I s... »
You train for it
It is always amazing when someone has peace in a truly trying situation. I think sports provides a good analogy for how that can happen. You train for it. I’m not a big s... »
Good little house
Recently we bought a 1960s tiny house as an investment property. I honestly wonder if we are good investors because this little house project hasn’t gone as we had hoped.... »
The full circle of love
If I could sit down with twenty-three-year-old me, newly married, careening into motherhood, oh, there’s so much I would tell that girl! Young me had a somewhat unrealist... »
A hope and a future
The memory of leaving our home in Mexico City still feels as real today as it did 18 years ago. I remember feeling so much loss! Big dreams we had worked so hard for and... »
When you aren’t ready
Each year, December 25th comes around whether we’re ready or not. We often talk about how there’s so much we still need to get done, how we’re short on time and money, et... »
A tale of two gifts
Each year, we host a Christmas party at my house. All the guests bring something of approximately equal value, and we play a game to determine what gift we all end up wit... »