See Something More

We gathered in the living room of the dorm as usual on Sunday nights, filling the chairs and bar stools and then sprawling out on the floor with pillows and blankets. As usual, we got easily distracted with telling one another funny stories from the week, laughing and joking and quoting our favorite YouTube videos. Still, we had not forgotten our purpose in gathering, so we opened our Bibles to Mark, the book that we chose for this semester. These Sunday night gatherings that we call "overflow" will be some of my fondest memories of my college experience. This group of girls all sprawled out on the floor are the women of God that have taught me so much about what it means to live life together, to pray together, to study the Word together, and to share burdens and victories with one another. Together, we have discovered what it looks like for the spiritual to be a part of every moment - how to be intentional about mingling deep faith and light-hearted fun until they can har...

In 1 Samuel 4, the Israelites went to battle against the Philistines, and they lost terribly. So they came up with a new battle strategy. "Why did the Lord bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the Lord's covenant from Shiloh, so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies" (v. 3). When Israel went out to fight the Philistines again, they took the ark with them this time. Even the Philistines were alarmed when they heard the battle shout of the Israelites and heard that the ark of God was in the camp. "We're in trouble!" they said. "Nothing like this has ever happened before" (v. 7). You might think that the presence of the ark of God would make a difference, but it didn't. The Israelites were still defeated by the Philistines. Round two lost. In fact, the ark was captured by the Philistines. When reading this story the other day, I was puzzled by the fact that the presence of the a...

Campsite B27 was reserved and waiting for our arrival. I had $85 worth of groceries in my trunk. My backpack was packed, and my Keens were waiting at the foot of my bed so that I could slip them on and walk out the door as soon as class was over the next day. My friends and I had been planning for this campout all semester long. Literally. And then it began to snow. Arkansas hardly ever gets snow in the winter, nevertheless in the middle of March. Supposedly March 21 was the first day of spring, and we got a snowstorm. With the temperature staying in the low 30's and 40's with a forecast of rain all weekend, we called off the camping trip Friday morning. But when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. So after class, I found my group of fellow camping friends pitching a tent...in the dorm room. We hung a hammock in between the bunk beds, spread out a checkered picnic blanket on the floor, and even hung Christmas lights like "stars in the sky". We were ab...

"Isn't March 21st technically the first day of spring?" we asked aloud as we watched the snow fall. It was coming down surprisingly heavily, especially considering that it was in the 70's a few days ago. Neither of us were dressed for the occasion - both of us in light workout clothes and me in shorts. "Do you still want to go to the gym?" Emily asked. "Of course!" I replied, so we ventured out into the winter wonderland...in the middle of March.  Since it was after dark, the snow flakes drifted at an angle in the bright white parking lot lights. Emily and I giggled as the snow blew into our eyes and accumulated in little puff balls on our shirts. There is something magical about such a spontaneous snow, and nothing could rob my joy in that moment.  Even when Emily accidentally stepped in a puddle that filled her tennis show with cold rain water.  I reminded her, "If it will be funny later, then it is funny now!" I think that f...

When a friend sent me a link to this blog post called "Secrets of Success Found in Small Places"  by Lysa TerKeurst, I felt like I could have written the exact same words. Just for today, read her words and soak up some encouragement from them. I especially love the "power verse" at the end of the post, which says this: "For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose." (Philippians 2:13 NIV) How thankful I am that it is God , not me, who works so powerfully to act and to fulfill His will and purposes. Even now, when people ask about my book or it comes up in conversation, I feel like I am receiving credit for something I do not deserve. One of my new favorite attributes of God is author (Hebrews 12:2) because I understand what this means now more than any other time in my life. He writes our stories; we just have the humble position of the documenters or scribes. The Lord is the true author who deserves all t...

I stood on the shoreline in just the right place so that every once in a while a wave would just barely come up to my toes. I watched the waves crash and tumble, and I found it suddenly fascinating. I found it fascinating that the waves just kept coming. Unlike the waves on a lake from the wake of a boat that gradually dwindle and disappear into still, quiet waters once again, these waves kept powerfully coming and crashing and coming and crashing without losing force or fervor. Then, I found it fascinating that the waves could be stirred up in the first place. I know there are great scientific explanations involving gravity and the moon and all sorts of unseen forces, but none of that mattered in the moment. All that mattered was amazement. I needed no explanation, only awe. And I looked across the horizon to where the blue of sky and the blue of water meet in a blurry line. How far away could my eyes see? A mile? Or two hundred miles? And I realized that if my eyes could see al...

"Is this real life?" I asked with excitement as we rode the cruiser bikes across the island to pick up sodas at the local supermarket. The sun was out, it was 70 degrees, and my wind was gently blowing a salty sea breeze in my face. I felt like I was in the movies, just dawdling around the beach town with nothing to do except head to the beach to sip my blueberry pomegranate soda and feel the sand beneath bare feet. "I can't believe you guys live here! It feels like vacation all the time!" My friend and her family live on an island between a river to the west and the ocean to the east - perfect for watching both sunrises and sunsets. Only about 2/3 mile wide, the island hosts a friendly beach town where you will see all sorts of people walking, jogging, biking, surfing, fishing, or just hanging out. I guess they have to drive to work and run errands and carry on business, too, but it just looks like fun all the time to me. My first day here, I took a nice ...

I have a confession: I really love long car trips. Most people hate sitting for prolonged periods of time...but I actually enjoy the rest of stretching out my legs and leaning back my chair. Most people complain of boredom...but I am thankful for the freedom to do nothing. Most people miss constant entertainment and resort to movies and ipad games...but I love hours of conversation, looking out the window and watching the different scenery pass by. Most people are uncomfortable with silence...but I soak up the peace that comes with just sitting together with people you love. The truth is, I just simply love long car trips. I love drifting in and out of meaningless and meaningful conversation. I love traveling and watching the scenery change from one place to the next. I love sunsets in rear view mirrors and putting my ipod on shuffle until the battery runs out. I love the silly memories that are made from playing ridiculous car games and how passengers become crazy and unrese...

A murmur of excitement spread across the room full of children as pictures of elephants and giraffes and zebras flashed across the overhead screen. "One of the great things about traveling to another country is exploring and seeing animals like these!" Kristen said as we scrolled through her pictures from Kenya this summer. Eight of us nursing students spoke for the children's "mission night" at their Wednesday night devotional. We shared stories from our mission trips, showed pictures, and taught the children cultural greetings. "I went to Guatemala just a few weeks ago," Meghan introduced herself. "Have you heard of Guatemala? Do you know where it is?" "Guatemala! That sounds like guacamole!" one excited little girl announced. We continued to share fun facts, adventures, and kid-friendly stories from our different trips to Tanzania, Ghana, Guatemala, Ukraine, and Kenya. We allowed the children to ask questions, and at th...

"Seven eggs? Did you just say seven eggs?" I raised my eyebrows in almost disbelief. "Yep! This is gonna be the biggest cake ever!" Ann replied with a smile on her face and a little bounce as she kept stirring. Emilee and I were whipping the sugar into the butter as Jennifer was making the frosting. All seven of us were in my mom's little homey kitchen, laughing as we accidentally and repetitively bumped our backs into one another as we darted back and forth from the refrigerator to the sink to the hand towel to the trash can. As each of us worked on our specific task in this cake-making process, we carried at least ten different conversations at once. "There are four sticks of butter in this cake!" someone announced. "And three cups of sugar!" I added. "It really is gonna be the best birthday cake ever!" As I listened to the chattering and laughter and felt the closeness of my friends and family together in our little blu...