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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

two-thousand seventeen in retrospect

What a year it has been. Definitely one of the craziest years of my life, I have to say. I hardly know where to begin. God has been so good. He has proven Himself faithful over and over, even though I fail in my faithfulness to Him. This time last year, marriage seemed very far […]

good tidings of great joy.

Christmas is without a doubt my favorite time of the year. I was already listening to Christmas music and making gift-lists the second week of November; but as soon as Thanksgiving was over *BAM* full Christmas mode! I am all about the festive lights, Christmas music everywhere you go, tacky sweaters, and finding the perfect […]

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 […]