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Hi Friends, Shawn and I are back from Mexico, and we are grateful for so many things… the time away, the sunshine, and my amazing parents who dazzled the Blanc boys for a week with crafts and world famous Sloppy Joe’s. (After a childhood’s worth of guesses, I’d say the secret ingredient is oregano, but you can’t ever be too sure…) Something we loved about Puerto Vallarta was watching the intermingling of tourists and local residents. It seemed like a lot of locals would get off work and come down to the beach in the late afternoons. Some older couples would set up well-worn chairs and pull out a picnic dinner. Children played in the water, their shrieks comprehendible in any language. I was looking down at the beach from the balcony of our room late one afternoon and saw someone flying the largest kite I’ve ever seen. Its colors caught the wind as the man on the ground struggled to control it. I watched him and was touched by the thought of all the joys the Lord has tucked into the hearts of mankind. 8 billion of us walking around, each with particular pursuits, so unique. These hobbies and ambitions, hopes and occupations — they’re no small thing. They’re the very stuff of God. The thought came to me again as Shawn and I took four flights to get to and from Mexico. I was thinking of our friend who just made an about-face in life. Time to go back to school and realize his dream of flying planes for a living. So cool. (And hi, Erik, if you’re reading these words today! 👋) God is a God of adventure. So many dreams of His heart spilled over the edges as He made all of creation. They spilled over and pooled in the hearts of men and women made in His image. We each carry specific, individual fascinations and desires. So different from one another. So unique. Alike only in the ways they reflect the beauty of the One who made us each. I looked out on the ocean a lot this past week, thinking about how Isaiah 40:12 describes Him as “measuring the waters in the hollow of His hand”. So big. So vast. Yes, He holds all things in His hands. Breathes life and adventure into all four corners of what He’s made. I can only imagine the joy that wells up in Him when He sees us letting that same sense of adventure spill over into our early mornings and sunny weekday afternoons. Maybe flying a kite. Maybe taking a test so we can get a little closer to flying that plane. Maybe a picnic on the beach after work is through. What a gift to be us. What a gift to be His. – Anna |
I am a singer, songwriter, wife, mother, Jesus follower. I send out a 2-minute read every Tuesday about Jesus and life in God.
Hi Friends, What defines a life well lived? When you’re young, it’s easy to imagine your life stretching out in front of you like a line on graph paper. It ascends predictably, ending in the upper right hand corner. Success! But life is unpredictable. In some moments, it is chaos. I’ve been reading through the life of Moses in scripture these days. There is no sky-rocketing line of success on the graph of his life. In fact, the highs of miraculous wonders and lows of sin and failure spike and...
Hi Friends, When we were on our “church tour” about a year and a half ago, something stood out to us. With all the different expressions and traditions that have been handed down through different Christian denominations, there are a few practices they hold in common. One of those practices is communion. In some churches you kneel. In others you’re handed the bread. In some places you pass bits of crackers down the aisle. Some churches do it weekly, others less often, but I have yet to see a...
Hi Friends, We don’t often like to be “all in” for something. In fact, we are often cautioned against it. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Hedge your bets. Have a plan B. Except, when it comes to life in God, the only way forward is to give… everything. There’s no pseudo-form of Christianity where we write in our clauses and exemptions. No partial committing. No standing at the shore and dipping in our toes. It’s a head-first dive into the ocean of God. An all-in taking up of our cross....