I think the hardest paths in life are meant to be walked alone—like Jesus in Gethsemane or the road that led to the cross. These roads are traveled in silence—journeys of solitude where growth happens and change is accepted. When you walk alone, there are no distractions, no outside conversations to sway you, no well-meaning … Continue reading traveling alone | on solitude as a necessary path to life
What is the church? What does it look like? Feel like? Sound like? I grew up in church. My mother was a Christian before I was born—the serious kind, not a pew-warmer, not a seasonal Christian, but Christs blood ran deep in our family roots. I was not a first-generation believer but a fourth-generation Evangelical. … Continue reading The Church | A House of Prayer
Eli was the high priest in the temple of God. To understand the weight of his role, it helps to consider what the priesthood represented. The priests were set apart from the other tribes of Israel to serve and minister before the Lord in the tabernacle. They wore special garments, carried unique privileges, and were … Continue reading Spiritual Leaders | I Samuel 3
How fragile is my relationship with God or rather my faith? Today I was reading about plants. I asked Google, “What happens to a 40-year-old plant?” I thought that if I could understand how plants grow, maybe I could understand something about my own spiritual state of existence. The article said ‘plants at forty years … Continue reading Deep Roots | Kim Blenkhorn
“The sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the Lord.” The purpose of the semicolon here is to hold together both the cause and the judgment.The cause: they did not know God.The judgment: they were worthless men. These two ideas are closely linked. Our relationship with the Lord determines much about who … Continue reading Appetite and Allegiance | I Samuel 2:12-36
So much is happening in Hannah’s song. It is more than simple gratitude for God giving her a child. In fact, we see no direct mention of, “the child.” Instead, we see the language consistent with victory—victory over her enemy, over her hardship. Peninnah’s name is often understood to relate to “face” or “pearl,” and … Continue reading Actions Are Weighed | 1 Samuel 2:1–11
“The Lord had closed Hannah’s womb.” Her barrenness was not accidental. Year after year she was provoked by Peninnah, her rival. She wept. She would not eat. She was deeply distressed and bitter in soul. How many times have I been warned about bitterness taking root in my heart — only to sink deeper into … Continue reading Bitter of Soul | I Samuel 1:1–11
In middle school, I was assigned to write a short story. I must have mentioned it to my dad. I remember him leading me into his bedroom — the room that was always locked, always shut. It felt forbidden. There was a bathroom no one was allowed to use, a secret closet with, a door … Continue reading The Opal Ring
Perhaps my children and family members don’t understand my need to write. When we argue, I send long text threads — pages of information, systematic logic, emotion carefully laid out in paragraphs. When my son was pledging a fraternity, I texted him daily with my fears and concerns. One day he replied,“Mom, it’s overwhelming and … Continue reading ADHD and Neurodiversity: A Different Way of Thinking About Differences
My Faith Place 