Book Review: The Great Divorce

If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell. preface, The Great Divorce The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis was one of the most interesting books I read this year […]

The Church That Built Me

At six years old, sitting on the couch between my dad and sister, across from my mom who was expecting a baby, I read aloud a letter Dad had written explaining to us that we would be going to a new church where he would be the youth pastor. It was a small church perched […]

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 […]

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 learned […]

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 capacity […]

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 really spills over […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

reach out

This isn’t a fun blog post. My heart has actually been hurting for over a week as I was unwillingly, unknowingly prepared to write this post. When I say my heart is hurting, I don’t mean I saw a cute picture of a puppy. I don’t mean I read about orphans in China. I don’t […]

when you’re not supposed to build the temple

I’ve been learning recently that even if I want something, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s what God wants. It is so easy to wish for different opportunities and miss the ones God has already given me. I’m really good at explaining it away too: explaining why I/we would be so good at whatever it is […]

How Many Loaves Do You Have?

“What is it worth?” This is a discussion my husband and I have had several times over the past few weeks. What is the Gospel worth? What are we willing to do to reach people for Christ? We both love ministry. Collectively, my husband and I have been on missions trips, worked at camps, and […]

in whatsoever state I am

It’s November! Finally! Already? This year has flown by, but I have to admit I am very excited to get revved up for Thanksgiving, the Christmas season, and all that 2018 holds! Many of my “friends” on social media have already posted many things about thankfulness and the coming of a new month. I […]

Have You Gathered Enough Manna?

“And [Moses] said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. And […]