Photo by Oana Craciun on Unsplash I don't know about your family, but it seems that as far back as I can remember, my family has been exceedingly sentimental about Christmas ornaments. Every year when we pulled the Christmas decorations out at the Wilson house - after bringing home a freshly cut tree from Cherry Grove Tree Farm…
ordinary: sustainable faith in a radical, restless world
Processed with VSCO with a6 preset. Credit: aholypursuit.net My thesis in this book is that we must turn from the frantic search for "something more" to "something more sustainable." We need to stop adding something more of ourselves to the gospel. We need to be content with the gospel as God's power for salvation. We…
Twenty-Nineteen Reads
(None of the links in this post benefit me in any way. They are simply to serve as quick access to the books I recommend.) In 2018, I set a lofty goal for myself concerning the amount of reading I wanted to do. I failed. Epically. (WordPress says that's not a word but IT IS…
challenge for 2020: a blog post to make it official
The start of a new decade is upon us! *insert gasping emoji* First of all, I have been putting a lot of pressure on myself to start a bunch of new things - goals or resolutions, as it were - at the start of the new year. I sat at Zeke's for almost five hours…
growth
I've been learning two things that may sound like opposite concepts but can both be applied simultaneously. It's OK to do things that feel a little crazy, that seem too hard, too big, too complicated. & Living an ordinary, unbusy, unhurried life is OK too. It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.…
grace upon grace upon grace
Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. - Psalm 36:5, 7 I have fallen massively short recently. It probably doesn't sound like a big deal, but…
You Never Know What You Had ‘Til It’s Gone
Since blogging about the social media epidemic, I re-downloaded Instagram. I was only on it for a week before recognizing (ok, my husband noticed it first) how much time it had started to take up. It wasn't that much - comparatively. It wasn't as much as it had been before I deleted the app back in…
Root: Organic, Vegan Make-up You Can Actually Afford
I was not paid by Root to promote their business or products. If you choose to use my link to make a purchase, you get a discount and I get "Pretty Points" which, when accumulated, translate into credit to spend on the website. You are welcome to not use my link. This blog post is…
The Social Media Epidemic
Photo by ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash "I release myself from the obligation or expectation to share with the world what is going on in my life." That was what I wrote in the back of my sermon notebook a few weeks ago in the middle of the service. I had deleted Instagram off my phone…
GO OUTSIDE AND DO THINGS
About a month ago, Josh and I got to spend a few days in the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains. While we were there, we got matching stickers that say: GO OUTSIDE AND DO THINGS. The irony is that we put them on our laptops. But they serve as a two-fold reminder to us. First…
sometimes: a reminder
Sometimes life is hard. But sometimes, life is harder. Sometimes you make mistakes and have to go back and apologize, and hope they forgive you, no matter how much you think they won't. But sometimes you do everything right, and they still hate you. Sometimes you recognize you did something wrong and restitution has to…
5 (Partly Silly) Things We Do to Save Money
Everyone wants more money. But I believe the money we need is already ours; we just don't make the best use of it. Yes, I said "we." We started our minimalism journey over six months ago, but old habits die hard. My desires still tend to lean toward shopping. Minimalism is a mindset and a…
The Mess of Ministry
I've been a part of ministry since I was a baby. First I was just the child of a traveling preacher, then a YPK, PK, Sunday School teacher, missionary, camp counselor, youth group leader, part-time worship leader, pianist, mentor, nursery worker, small group leader. . . and while there have been countless things I've…
The Talk: For Singles
I want to broach a topic that, in my personal opinion, is not discussed enough among Christians in a scriptural way or in a safe environment. Sex. It is time we stop acting like this is not an issue. It's time we start acknowledging that it is a struggle to remain pure in any…
Meal Prep: Worth the Hype?
a step toward mindfulness: part four My eyes have been opened, y'all. Two words for you: MEAL. PREP. I finally get why this fills my Pinterest feed and everyone talks about it! Meal prep has made our lives so much simpler. We decided back in January that we wanted to attempt meal prep…
God is my Defense, pt 2
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. Prov. 14:26-27 I've been thinking quite a bit about this concept since my last blog post. It…
God is my Defense.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on [Jesus] the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before…
The Time-Eater
a step toward mindfulness: part three There are countless things endlessly vying for our attention. I've blogged about the big one here but that is just one distraction. Today I want to share with you how going without something we used almost every day impacted our lives, and how it continues to. We went without Netflix for…
The “Unmentionables”
a step toward mindfulness: part two Just being honest here: I struggled to start writing this because I couldn't decide the format. The original plan was to have several "steps toward mindfulness" in one blog post; but that ended up being way too long for anyone to sit down and read in one sitting. Then…
Quarter of a Century
Happy 25th birthday to me! How crazy is that? Sometimes when I get asked how old I am, I have to stop and think because in my head apparently I'm still 22 or thereabouts. When my husband turned 25 back in October, he wrote 25 things he had learned in his 25 years of life.…
An Open Letter to the Girl I Can’t Help
Dear friend, I've known you for a long time. Years ago when we first met, you seemed so young. You were so full of life and so excited to learn new things and make new friends. Excited to become my friend. I didn't realize back then how much you looked up to me. I…
How a Dining Room Table Changed Our Life
a step toward mindfulness: part one mind·ful·ness noun the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. "their mindfulness of the wider cinematic tradition" a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique. (Google…
In the Dark Moments
It's just been one of those days. Well, it started last night. I was getting ready for bed, doing my usual nighttime routine; and as I washed my face, it just hit me in the gut. That sudden nagging feeling of sadness, almost loneliness, for no reason. This morning was fine, but then it…
a poem: my home is a vessel
My home is a vessel and nothing more As soon as a person walks through my door I do not want them to look at my home And think that it's empty and cold My home is a vessel and nothing more Please don't analyze the decor I didn't buy furniture just for the looks…
what a year.
It sounds so cliche to say but I am shocked at how quickly the year's end came upon us. Just like that, it is 2019. A new calendar, a new set of goals, a refreshed perspective. 2019 is full of possibilities. I am stoked for our new website launch (you can find our new site…
a hamster diary entry:
in which Pavarotti recounts his grand adventure one cold November night. I'm not sure how long I've been free but it's wonderful! The loud thumping around from the humans is a little scary, but luckily when I crawl through this hole and between these giant pieces of wood, the thumping gets quieter. I think it…
There’s more to life than brunch & puppies.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. And what was I doing a few minutes ago? Being discontent. Ugh. Get ready for another episode of Brutal Honesty with Bethany. Can I stick an emoji rolling its eyes right here? Earlier this afternoon I started thinking about the house we just bought, and going over all the things we still…
Do Just One Thing
I was taking a walk with the little guy I watch every day, and pulled my phone out to call my sister. She didn't answer, so I tried to think of who else I could call. Then I thought, "Well, maybe I'll listen to some music." I couldn't think of anything I wanted to listen…
the best thing I’ve done in 2018
(not my photo. No copyright infringement intended.) About two weeks ago, I deleted the Facebook app from off my phone; and that one tiny act has literally changed my life. I don't know why Facebook is such a time-waster for me. Instagram? I can hop on, scroll for a couple minutes, and hop off.…
Impressed.
This past Sunday, Joshua and I stopped at Starbucks around 2:30 to treat ourselves to an iced mocha and iced chai latte. The plan was to get our drinks and chill inside, reading or journaling until choir practice. After I got my drink and sipped the spicy almond milk deliciousness, I mentally wrinkled my nose…
