Beautiful Between

living fully in the now & not yet

When you feel consumed with anxiety, bring it to Jesus

I couldn’t simply shake these anxious feelings, as desperately as I wanted to. I couldn’t pretend I was okay. This felt all-consuming. If I didn’t deal with this properly, it would change into full-blown panic.

Life After Diagnosis: The Restoration of Dignity

Receiving a mental health diagnosis is never easy. Many of us feel irreparably broken, damaged beyond repair, or just plain not enough when we receive that label. But the truth is that our God-given dignity and worth is still fully intact and undamaged, despite how we feel.  My friend Abigail Alleman knows what it’s like […]

If you’re tired of the try-hard life, this is for you

I know you know what it’s like to think, “If I could just try harder, it would get better.” I know you know what it’s like to push as hard as you can, barely holding yourself together, feeling like it will never be enough. I know those feelings, too. That’s why I’m so thrilled to […]

This book will make you want to be poor in spirit (Glorious Weakness review + giveaway)

I know that if I can somehow let down my guard enough to let you see that you’re not the only one struggling, it might just be healing. It might just be a little bit life-giving.

We Don’t Talk About This on Good Friday

For he made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.  2 Corinthians 5:21 We talk about the supper. In still and gentle tones, the last message of a dying man, shared and sung around the table in time-honored tradition. Love […]

Why everyone is wrong about “the joy of the Lord”

After weeks of working, trying to make it better, trying to bring restoration, they finally heard the word of God. The priest read and the Levites explained the meaning for hours, filling in huge gaps in Israel’s collective memory. They have come to rebuild and inhabit Jerusalem after long, hard years of exile. And now, […]

If you feel alone in the dark this Christmas, this is for you <3

Note: this article was originally written several years ago, before the pandemic and social distancing became necessities. While Christmas may feel very different this year for many of us, one thing that hasn’t changed is the invitation to slow down and experience Christ as Immanuel, God With Us. We might just need that now more […]

How to actually get hope out of the Bible (Ultimate Guilt-Free Guide)

We’re not supposed to have problems with the Bible. We know we’re “supposed” to have this vibrant relationship with Scripture. That it’s supposed to be a lifeline and encouragement. But what about when it’s not? What happens: When your eyes move across the page but you can’t even remember what you read? Or when the […]

This is how to find hope in the Bible when you desperately need it

The room was semi-dark; if I sat at the edge, nobody could really see my face. I liked it that way. In a room full of church leaders and staff, passionately praying for God to move and transform lives, I couldn’t connect with their zeal. I was probably in a season of depression, or lone […]

Discouraged? Ashamed? You need to hear these 5 words

I was twenty and terrified, standing unannounced on their porch on a hot July night. My legs froze and nausea filled me. I felt like every moment was never-ending, like I was eternally dying inside. Before coming, I’d meticulously covered the long gashes on my thighs. I was there to tell the truth, but I […]