Beautiful Between

living fully in the now & not yet

God With Us: Deliver Us

Welcome, friend! I’m so glad you’re joining me in the midst of this busy season. Each day this week, I’ll share a devotion to help you slow down and experience the story in a new way. I’ve included Scripture readings and songs to enrich the experience. These words are inspired partly by Andrew Peterson’s gorgeous album, […]

Overwhelmed by tragedy? This is what you can do

Sometimes you hear the news and it rips your heart clear out of your chest. Doesn’t it seem that’s happening a lot lately? Micah had watched the coverage late into the night; I slept peacefully in the next room. Monday morning, his voice was heavy. Every word sank with the weight of sorrow as he […]

I forgot how to pray. Physical therapy reminded me.

I’m practicing squats when my physical therapist brings the boxes over and sets the yellow pine stack behind me. They only come up an inch or so past my knee. I know what’s coming. “Let me see those squats again.” He’s a former personal trainer and I’m about to get my tail kicked. He looks […]

Why Faithfulness Sometimes Looks Like Stillness

All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness… Sometimes paths of steadfast love and faithfulness lead through dark valleys and places of pain. Sometimes we must give up, relinquish control, simply let go at the worst possible time. Sometimes there is little light at the end of the tunnel, save for what […]

How I Found Surprising Grace in Paris – Part 2

How I Found Surprising Grace in Paris Part 2

Chateau Chenonceau. Photo Credit: Jonathan Perrinet via Compfight cc I only had Him. And He met me there, sweetly and unexpectedly. (Note: This is the second part to the story I started last week about finding surprising grace in Paris. Click here to read part one.) Early April had left me lonely and longing for connection. Parts […]

Stuck in the Middle: The Secret to Waiting Well

This is the part no one talks about. The hours, days and weeks both the director and the writer skip over. There is a reason that stories and movies jump from one scene to the next. No one wants to see the boring parts of the story, even if they are important. If the camera […]

When you need fresh hope, this is what to do

fresh-hope-discouragement

 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. – Romans 15:13 ESV Discouragement snuck in when I wasn’t looking. It settled in my soul some time before I noticed its evidence on the edges of […]

Free Coffee Giveaway!

This is day 5 of a 7-Day Blogging Challenge hosted by Jeff Goins, and this is my FAVORITE challenge yet! I’m doing a GIVEAWAY! You know I love coffee and giving gifts. Details at the end! There are a lot of incredible coffee shops in Nashville, but The Well is my favorite. I fell in […]

Dear God, Thanks for Letting Me Cuss at You

deargod

Have you ever been angry at God? Maybe thought he wouldn’t want you just the way you are? I sure have – for much of my life, actually. But the thing about grace is it takes you as you are, shattered as that may be. I didn’t get that my brokenness was exactly what God […]

Finding Joy on Bad Days

Last week, I had a bad day. No reason, no cause, just the edges of sorrow pressing up and recoloring moments, like Sadness from “Inside Out.” It happens now and then, and those days used to derail me, but not anymore. I’ve learned joy is a well that can be dug and drawn from. My source […]