“Oh, I’m fine,” I answered. But she could see in my eyes that I wasn’t. What was I supposed to say? Well, I’m reeling in pain because my husband is struggling and I can’t talk to anyone about it so please don’t ask me anymore.  That would sum it up, I suppose. Almost to a one, th

The rain pounded hard in the darkness, and I rocked. And rocked. And rocked. We were all sick, and she cried. And cried. And cried. Unable to sleep, until we finally drug the rocking chair in from the front porch. It was cold and wet from outside. Jeff draped a blanket over the top, and [...]

 Sick this week. Really, really, really needed to give thanks and forget not His benefits! Glad for a sunny Saturday and enough energy to run around! Walk with my girl, hand in hand, to the Revival Building to visit the boys. Finishing my little writing space. Praying for His hand on that little corner, for [...]

We talked Wednesday about why it sometimes feels creepy to talk about Jesus, and we asked God to make us more bold, finding that place between creepy and cowardly. So, here’s what this looks like for me: Jeff and I are headed back to the airport from a recent conference, and we happen (ha!) to [...]

“At some point, the gospel gets aggressive.” I looked up at him. There was that rush, that slight piercing feeling in my chest, that flip-flop in my stomach, that heart-beat quickening just a bit. You know that feeling, when you’re sitting in church and all of a sudden you feel as though the pastor is [...

Last weekend, as we lay in bed, Jeff asked me how I felt.  I replied, “I feel like a rubber band that’s stretched out so tight it’s just about to snap.”  He knew enough to put his arm around me and just stay quiet after that. (love that man.) Someone please tell me they’ve felt [...]

We just walked in the door. I have that eye-burning tired, clammy-body feel of spending hours in an airport. We ate a bag of almonds and some orange juice for dinner. I’m beat. But it’s been so good. A few days away with my man at the Acts 29 Preach the Word conference. A powerful time, together, [...]

*If you haven’t had a chance to meet our neighbor Ernie yet, I’d be most honored to introduce you to him here … Blinds and Jan Hagels. Flowers. Parsnips. Hope. And if YOU are a woman named Susan, from Alabama, who is having lunch with me right now (wink) — I THANK YOU with my whole heart for [...]

Imagine, just for a moment, the Garden of Eden. Paradise. Perfection. Peace. Do you know the reason it was such pure bliss? Sure, because there wasn’t any sin around, but you know the other reason? There weren’t any other women around. Eve had the whole world to herself. She had the only man on earth [...]

As long as I keep looking at this picture, I’m fine. I will save it forever. Us. Just like this. That weekend wore her out like nobody’s business, but she hung on for dear life. Dad drove the RV to the camp, along the Oregon Coast, where I was speaking. She shuffled to my sessions, [...]

“You are Wonderful.” Funny. This wasn’t what I planned to write. I planned to write about a false god. My false god. Yesterday my gracious True God gave me a gentle and loving revelation. I had been reading about false gods, idols, and the like. As I wrote Monday, I’m embracing a season of putting t

The shovel sliced deep into the dirt, a quiet crunch as it tore through tiny roots and clumps of clay. I pulled back on handle, using my weight as leverage to lift the bulk of soil from the earth. Tipping over the shovel, the soft, loose dirt made a mound next to the hole, like [...]

  My kitchen sink–my sacred mundane center.  Things living and growing. Reading the One Thousdand Gifts devotional. Re-embracing thanksgiving. Cultivating. Nourishing. Nurturing. Death, redefined. Long hours digging up weeds. Backbreaking. Worth it. Beautiful berry bushes set free. Kids squealing through the sp

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. —Jesus (Luke 6:38) It’s fascinating (to me) to look through years’ worth of posts and refle

They asked us to remember the poor, the very thing we were eager to do. —Galatians 2:10 Our story isn’t that remarkable. His is. When World Vision contacted us about sharing our story in their magazine, about coming up to Seattle to be in the DVD filming for Unfinished, of course we were thrilled. What an honor [.

It was Ann Voskamp who helped me acquiesce. That is, when I finally figured out how in tarnation she managed to write a book with six homeschooled kids at home. I was not a little humbled to read her interview here and realize the answer was simply a woman willing to live on less than four hours of sleep [...]

Just minutes ago, home from truly take-my-breath-away weekend FLOURISHing with the dear ladies of Foothills Community Church, at Rockaway Beach. Too many praises to recount, and I’m too tired to type, but this little shot captures the sweetness of this day. Discovering hundreds (thousands?) of tiny crabs in the tide

  I want to remember it, like this, forever. Riversong in spring.  In springs gone past the kids have been so little. In arms or toddling, top-heavy, tripping over rocks. But now they’re lean, lithe, agile little climbers, leaping over rocks and hopping stone-to-stone along the shore. Now they name things–skip

“Love … puts up.” -1 Corinthians 13 I flipped open the laptop–there on the keyboard lay the photo. I shook my head and smiled, a little surprised at the emotion welling up in my eyes. It’s been 10 years of passing that thing back and forth, sneaking it into unexpected places for the other to [.

It was quite the weekend around here (this picture is how I feel inside!). It’s late Sunday night and I haven’t had time to process enough to write, but suffice it to say God showed His amazing grace in spite of me. In the midst of feeling the lowest and most unworthy of His blessing and [...]

Weekend of RENEWal (truly!) at Riversong, basking in God’s presence with precious sisters in Christ, while the men worked on my rustic writing cabin/office for Jeff, out in the garage.  Creative wood-panelled walls from pallets (free!) torn apart. Imagination. Little Heidi with me for the girls’ weekend. Prayin

Something inside said, “Take him the Jan Hagels.” These are Dutch cookies–a cinnamon flavored shortbread my mom always made growing up. Heidi dumped in the flour and ate half the chopped walnuts before we could sprinkle them on top. Dutch supervised and asked (repeatedly) when they’d be done.  We ba

I pulled down hard on the cord—it had been a while.  The large, heavy blinds heaved upward, disturbing the dust and clicking, one against the other, slapping together at the top. The room filled with light. I looked down the street—our house is taller than all the others—and took in the bird’s eye view. The [...]

It was a toss-up, whether the kids and I would be more hindrance or help, but the together factor trumps all these days. We’d go. I slid steaming bowls of oatmeal across the counter. “We’re going to the Revival Building today to work!” I braced myself for protest. Saturday mornings usually involve ma

Both kids eager to work at The Revival Building (yes, that’s our new church home!). Scrubbing walls, wiping floorboards, and dust-busting the sawdust. Both kids riding bikes all the way there. Pushing them both up the hills, one hand on each seat.  Heidi’s outfit for the work-party: Ruffled floral bathing suit,

At the writer’s conference last weekend, Dan Merchant said usually none of his writing makes sense until the 5th draft. I almost fell out of my chair. FIFTH draft? Well, so be it. I am writing and re-writing my attempts at my first (real) book, Sacred Mundane: A holy revolution for ordinary days. I know [...]

There is nothing I want to do. That’s the problem. I’ve unknowingly become a slave to hankering, and without sunshine, a burst of energy, or a strike of inspiration, I’m left lethargic and unmotivated. I have a hankering to do nothing. I don’t want to write and I don’t want to do laundry. And I most [...]

“What if God planted RENEW Church just for Julie?” Several of my close friends have posed this question to me. Of course I smile because it is the same question the Holy Spirit has posed to me more times than I can count, in different ways. It’s a fair question. Would God take a family and [...]

  Sweet times playing with the neighbor boy. Love how kids find common ground instantly. In this case common ground is literal. Them in the morning–kitten breath and puppy breath. Her bird-chirp voice. Our first pets! Two goldfish–Penny & Glowy. I thought my children couldn’t become any more enthu

Two years ago this week I typed Why I Write with trembling hands. It was on this post that Ann Voskamp commented, and I started crying. Two years ago this weekend I attended the first Faith & Culture Writers Conference and faced the Scary Guy who changed my life.  At this year’s conference, which kicks off t