10/31 ((from Natalie)) God says “No.” Our feverish and fervent prayers go seemingly unanswered. We get left with the whys: “Why, God?” “Why me?” “Why not yes?” It’s painful.  And this reality of God’s character has a name,  it’s called paradox.  His sovereign paradox is mighty and yet still a profoundly hard pill to swallow….

10/30 ((from Kate)) Does God say no? Of course He does. But does He say no as often as we credit Him with the big final shakes of his head? I’m not sure. More often times than not when I look to scripture I see God working out His plan the following ways: Miraculous yes-es,…

10/29 ((from Bridget)) Holy Spirit, You are welcome here Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for To be overcome by Your presence, Lord We were in the basement of our sending church.  We were set to move overseas in just under 2 months.  There was…

10/28 ((from Eve)) “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24  Words that heal truly are like a honeycomb, aren’t they? Sweet to the sour, water for the parched, and balm for a wound. I’ve been on the receiving end of lots of healing words in many…

10/27 ((from Courtney)) Emotions. Truth. Ache. Darkness. Alone. My soul so raw it shudders at the touch of words. Screaming silently for companionship. Shrinking in agony from another’s presence. Here I sit. “Are not my days few? Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer before I go—and I shall…

10/26 ((from Jessica)) I remember the doctor looking straight into my eyes on that cold, January day and saying, “Jessica, there’s a good chance that you will deliver this baby tonight and if you do, there’s a good chance he won’t live.” I had been anticipating the 20 week, gender ultrasound since the day we had first…

10/25 ((from Megan)) A lovely word artist of a woman I know recently calls it “thick inky blackness.” My pastor calls it “the dark side of God’s will.” David penned in Psalm 23 “the valley of the shadow of death” and described in Psalm 139 that he had been in places where the darkness covered…

10/24 ((from Jessica, subbing in for Natalie as she and her family grieve the loss of her mother-in-law)) When I think back over the many soothing and healing words that have been spoken to me over the course of my life, my memory drifts to a morning (three years ago) when my son offered some…

10/23 ((from Kate)) I love words. Not just because I talk a mile-a-minute, but because it amazes me that we can string together sounds to express our insides, to shape love, to send up prayers. Scratches on a page and movements of our tongues can encapsulate war cries and catalyze change. In baskets – one…

10/22 ((from Bridget)) “One day, I went to play the harmonium in the chapel.  There, I found out that a Chinese couple was to lead the service.  As soon as I saw them, I knew they had it.  What “it” was I did not know- but even watching them praying, I sensed a vitality, a…

10/21 ((from Eve)) I love to read. In fact, I’ve loved it ever since I can remember. Though how much I read took a significant nosedive when I was teaching (after staring at and grading papers for a few hours, looking at a book—no matter how entertaining or enlightening—loses some of its appeal (and all…

10/20 ((from Courtney)) “I handed Russell the pillowcase and looked into the face that had become so dear to me. A cry of protest, of fear, strangled itself in my throat. ‘You sadists, you didn’t even let me say goodbye!’ I swallowed hard and clenched my fists. ‘You’ll not have the satisfaction of seeing me…