This time of year…with the rain coming in, nights getting darker, the air getting cooler, days getting quicker…I can’t help but get excited for Christmas. And with the fast approaching days of the Christmas season come the thoughts and dreams of family traditions. Stockings hung by the fireplace, decorating the tree, singing Christmas carols around the piano or jamming out to a Pentatonix Christmas album in the car. My heart sparkles at the thought of cheesy Christmas movies or books by the fire’s glow…warm cups of cocoa made just right…my favorite decorations we put out every year (like the Christmas villages with their sparkling lights!). I think about the foods that warm our bellies every Christmas morning, the soft pjs full of Christmas cheer that we don each Christmas eve…and most of all, I think of the beautiful candlelight Christmas Eve service which reminds us of our savior, His miraculous conception, and the beautiful and gracious gift of His birth. As I reflect on...
I’ve been a bit out of my writing grind and as I sit here, blissfully engaged in my 16oz oat milk cappuccino, spacing out in one of my favorite local coffee shops, I am feeling entirely uninspired. Usually, the brick walls of this coffee shop and its bustling atmosphere of people sparks inspiration within my little writer’s mind. But here we are, on a Thursday afternoon, with muscle fatigue, a long to do list, a delicious cup of coffee and a sudden, unfamiliar lack of words. I’ve been told stories exist all around us. I wonder what inspiration is hiding in the conversations and lives of these coffee shop goers. To my right are three millennials - embracing the classic hipster look with flannels and beanies. The two young men focus intently on their hp and dell laptops - their lack of macbook informs me that they are computer people. They prefer a laptop that they can personalize and adjust its settings instead of the less nuanced, user-friendly macbooks that permeate t...
Last semester I wrote a monologue from the point of view of a broken piece of pottery being transformed into a new creation of Kintsugi, broken pottery made new with liquid gold. This Kintsugi metaphor has been a powerful image in my life for God's grace and love as He works in my weakness and makes me into a new creation. It illustrates Christ's words in 2 Corinthians 12, "My grace is sufficient for you. My power made perfect in weakness." At first, I was terrified to share these words with my Epiphany theatre ministry ensemble. We write our own songs, scenes, and monologues using stories from our lives and find God in them. This piece was written for our ensemble but it is a tender and vulnerable experience that I wanted to keep close to my heart -- yet, I had a strong feeling I should share it with the group. Shaking, I read it out loud. The piece was recieved well and it ended up in our final set. I struggled to memorize it, my words being so similar and stream o...
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