What is the Enneagram? The Cliffnotes version—it’s a personality typing system with 9 types that focuses on core motivations. It is uniquely designed for personal growth, but as I talk to more people about the Enneagram and have helped them find their type, I’ve found a common reaction to the negative aspects of each type—embarrassment…
Category: Sarah Clews
Against the Odds—A Reflection on Gideon and Covid-19
I was talking on the phone to our accountant just as things with COVID-19 were starting to get serious. We were both sharing some of our concerns about how school and business closures will affect families and businesses. I shared the comfort that has been on my mind lately—the story of Gideon defeating the Midianites. …
Remembering We are Loved at Christmas
Our pastor sometimes says at the end of the church service, “He loves you and He likes you. Go in peace.” It’s one of my favorite things he does. God likes me? This wasn’t a concept I had any notion of until my adult years. Up until that point, I was still pretty focused on…
3 Things to Do While We Wait for God to Heal a Broken Heart
After my first c-section (I’ve had three), I was astonished when the nurses made me get out of bed less than 24 hours after I’d been lying on the operating table. I was sure that my insides might just fall out. Everything held together with dissolvable sutures that felt very fragile. It’s amazing to me…
Finding Truth in a Culture that Distorts Fact
In a time when society is trying to twist, turn, and stretch the meaning of the word fact, when I think of truth, the word “distortion” comes to mind. It’s also a time when I’m seeing the truth of God get distorted and misrepresented, but this isn’t new. This is a tale as old as…
Season’s Time
One of the ways I know time is moving on is the approach of a new season. Summer is around the corner, a season shift, marked by warmer temperatures, blooming roses, sunscreen displays at the grocery store, and the flurry of end-of-school-year final activities. Over the years, I’ve embraced each season more and more, using…
Little Steps to Big Change
Last summer, I would have told you I didn’t have an artsy bone in my body. And I didn’t. When my mom set up a summer lake house painting project for everyone, I was relieved that the lines were already drawn, and I just had to fill in the space with watercolor paints. But something…
To Forgive and be Forgiven
Abundance can have a lot of connotations, bringing to mind a bountiful summer harvest or maybe even just a house crammed full of things. Typically it makes me think of holding an overflowing armful of things—because abundance is carrying coats, stuffies, and snacks for three little girls? Since I’ve been reading through the Bible chronologically…
Present in 2019
As I pondered over what my word for 2019 would be, I started thinking back to when I first started making “New Year’s Resolutions.” I dug through a box of old journals and found the first journal I ever started from when I was 9 years old. I was surprised to discover that although I…
The Time of Reflection: Between Christmas and the New Year
As excited as we get during the Christmas season, as thankful as we feel for the perfect gift of God’s son, there’s some dead space, some apprehension between the warmth and glow of the manger and what we believe God may have in store for us in the future. As we move from “Merry Christmas”…
Anchored Voices 