Inky Jazz |

Deja Vu | A Lot Can Happen in a Year

He was not a coward. No, not in many things. But he had an irrational fear, a foreboding almost, that someone might kill him to get at Sarah.

Chipotle’s Beef Barbacoa

Beef braised in a chipotle and wine sauce until fork pull-apart tender, is perfect for that burrito, rice bowl, taco, or salad. Just add your favorite toppings.

Up In Smoke | A Lot Can Happen in a Year

Abraham and Sarah saw the smoke rise up from the valley, and the acrid smell of sulfur and burning filled the air. Just the day before, Abraham had entertained the three visitors. The Lord had said to Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah. I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard.”

Quinoa Tabbouleh | The Infinitely Adaptable “Middle Eastern” Salad

More concept than “recipe,” this simple salad is infinitely adaptable. Experiment with your favorite flavor combinations. Serve as a side salad (great summer side for grilled meat) or topping for greens. Add more protein (animal, dairy, or plant based) for a complete meal.

God’s Faithful Love

In his faithful love he promises to rebuild us, to repair what we have torn with our own two hands. He cleans our filthy wounds encrusted with the blood guilt of our rebellion. He gives us back our dead, restores what the moth has eaten. He transforms our dry deserts into fruitful gardens. He breaks our chains, clothes us, and calls us his own. He brings us home and fills our hungry souls with what is good. This is the faithful love of our Lord.

Picasso’s Tete d’une Femme Lisant (Head of a Woman Reading): Rendition in black and white

Gustav Klimt, Rendition of Family

Gustav Klimt, Rendition of Stoclet Frieze Expectation

Masquerade: Art Journal Page

Psalm 16: art journal lettering and doodle

Picasso Tete d'une Femme Lisant (Head of a Woman Reading)

Gustav Klimt, Rendition of Stoclet Frieze Expectation

Chalkboard calligraphy

In Which Moms Say Goodbye

“Mom, I never want to leave you,” he said. He was four years old. “Aren’t you going to work?” “I’ll only work on Tuesdays so I can be with you all the time.” He’s driving away in a car full of Marines. Her Marine. Her son. She calls out after him, “Don’t forget your jacket. […]

In Which I Offer Up My Writing

Every day I offer up my writing, imagining the five loaves and two fish. Far too often I’m breaking up the bread before I lay it in the basket. And all I’m left with is a bunch of crumbs. I’m meting it out — this bit will go here, this bit I can blog. Too […]

Rules of Mother-in-Law Etiquette

I was an urban professional with a preference for black and steel walking into a family of colonial country plaid and floral.

Sisters

This was first posted last summer, but I couldn’t find it anywhere on my blog. Since my sister shows up a lot in my posts, and I have some upcoming posts inspired by her recent visit, I thought I’d repost this “intro” to one of my most favorite people in the world. A gun and […]

Happy Birthday, Aunt Laura

I wrote this in February, the month of Aunt Laura’s birthday, but just decided to post it today. One Easter, Aunt Laura, in her Sunday dress, pearls, white pumps, and classic white hair, knelt on the floor, nose to the ground, and showed the grandkids how to roll Easter eggs with their noses. I can […]

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Yelling Into the Void

Where in her life had she made the Wrong Turn? What had she done to deserve a barren womb? And where was God in all of this? What was the good of a God who controlled all things, if at best, he forgot you, or at worst, botched everything up?

Abram & Sarai | The Big Idea: Part 1

Then the sun dropped behind the horizon, and in the darkness Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. The Lord himself was making a covenant with Abram that day.

The Sacrifice | Cain & Abel: Part 1

Cain loved the smell of the earth. His father and mother said it was cursed. “Farming was a lot easier back in the day,” his father would say, with that faraway look in his eyes. He said God had given them the job of working the earth, and Cain enjoyed the challenge of coaxing life […]