I would have to spend hours on this post if I were to include more than pictures. I’ve learned so much, so much more than I could share with you, dear reader. But I’ll at least show you the top of the waves. The photo below is one of my favorites from the year. One…
Leadership Lessons in Nehemiah
I love learning about leadership. I’m thankful for an immense collection of resources on the subject: John Maxwell books, Craig Groeschel podcasts, and Empowerment Mentoring calls. But for me, my first and foremost source for wisdom on leadership will always be the Bible. I’ve read Nehemiah before, but until recently I never knew it was…
A New Name
“For the Lord had redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified [will display his beauty] in Israel.” -Isaiah 44:23 Jacob was a cheater. Even from the womb, he held onto Esau’s heel and was pulled out behind him. He stole his older brother’s birthright rather than proving the worth of his own. But when he met…
Why I Buy Adult Coloring Books
Coloring is one of the most fundamental activities for children in school. Most kindergarten teachers implement some sort of coloring into their everyday lesson plans–but why? Well, the easy answer is because kids enjoy it. But beyond the fact that coloring is simply a fun activity, it is also vital to developing children’s creativity. So why does…
Through the Sea
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is in Exodus 14, where the Israelites have fled from the Egyptians and Moses is leading them through the wilderness. And yet, I’ve hardly ever heard this story taught in church. I hardly ever see this verse on Pinterest, in pictures, or in tattoos. In my opinion,…
Created to Create
I thought it was about time I wrote a blog post about this, so here we are. I once considered myself an extremely left-brained, logical, methodized individual. I’d always been taught that left-brained and right-brained people couldn’t cross over to the other side–that I was confined to the realm of logical processing. (To educate yourself a bit…
An Accurate Reflection
In 1958, a Dutchman spent a year and a half at a Zen Buddhist monastery in Japan as a novice monk. He writes in his memoir, The Empty Mirror, of his experiences, from hemorrhoids to snakes to motorbikes. His name was Janwillem Van de Wetering, and he was twenty-eight. His goal, he says, was simply to study…
One True Word
Before I start writing, I need to tell you that you can be skeptical about anything. But, you have to maintain that same amount of skepticism with everything. So, if you’re an atheist, you have a right to be skeptical of the Bible and Christianity. But I do want you to maintain that standard–you ought to…
Speak Life
Jesus knew that Judas Iscariot would betray him. He knew before he chose him to be his disciple, and chose him knowing the Father’s plan for his death and resurrection. He knew as he washed his feet, declaring the rest of him unclean despite his place among the twelve disciples. But Judas wouldn’t betray Jesus…
All Lives Matter
With all of the recent news stories, Facebook videos, and hashtags, I see our nation amid a season of testing. In response to the Black Lives Matter movement I am, on one hand, supportive and understanding, but yet a tad bit confused. I don’t want to belittle the oppression that blacks face–that’s not my goal….
Destroying Your High Places
As you read the Old Testament, you read miraculous stories about kings, prophets, and warriors. A lot of the stories seem repetitive on the surface, but as I’ve been reading throughout this year (following along with a plan) I’ve noticed many interesting trends. One in particular I’m thinking about today is the reoccurrence of the term…
A Word a Day
I’ve been learning about my strengths and figuring out how to develop my areas of gifting. Expect to see more blog posts about my progress in the future. One of my top strengths is Input, which means that I tend to collect and archive information in order to share it with others at an opportune…
mary[elizabeth]taylor 