The air took on an apocalyptic crimson hue due to the wildfires ravaging entire towns. Just thirty minutes from my home the fires were raging and blanketing the air with smoke, so the decision to seek out cleaner air was made. Our home is outside of the evacuation zone, but the hazardous air and coughing…
Tag: Holly Hawes
The Wait of Christmas
Immersed in the sight of snow-packed roads and lightly dusted evergreens, my husband and I drove over the Cascades for Christmas with my family. We were deep in waiting. Waiting to find out why having children wasn’t easy for everyone. Waiting to see if the doctor would take young newlyweds seriously. Waiting for the perfect…
Book Review: Journey, A Path to Biblical Change
We all have places in our lives where we feel the need for change. But we don’t always know how we move from knowledge of our need to actual change. We begin to feel stuck and are tempted to believe we are simply stuck this way. As believers, we know that Christ has made an…
3 Pitfalls of Doubt for the Religious
Some people wear their scars on the outside. Life circumstances make it obvious that there is a need for wholeness and healing. We love to see God’s grace and mercy transform regular humans into what 2 Corinthians calls a “new creation.” The addict turned counselor. The depressed turned joyful. The wanderer who finds the way…
God, Help Me to Breathe When I’d Rather Yell
We were already late for the second day of Vacation Bible School as I carried one child to the car because his shoes still weren’t on. A plastic toy I could have sworn I’d never seen before quickly became the source of an argument as I buckled the children in and the volume increased. We…
The Perseverance of Hope
I ordered freshwater pearls off the internet to adorn my neck on my wedding day. Their rough, imperfect sheen was just the look I wanted. Classic, but not as perfect as the identical spheres I imagine gracing the necks of British Royalty at a tennis match or June Cleaver as she welcomes her children home…
4 Areas to Create Margin and Find Abundance
Today was an off day. Last week was a jam-packed, no-school, sunshine-filled string of days without obligations. We had so much freedom. Sleep in if you want. Yes, have a snack. Play with me. Let’s go outside again! Monday met my transition expectations, as we all wriggled back into normal like fancy shoes after flip…
Abiding in the True Vine
The gnarled oak toppled overnight, stressed by the torrential rain and wind that suddenly became too much. Wide-eyed children gasped as we drove by in the morning light, wondering aloud how something so mighty could be grounded with a bit of wind. While the outside had been unremarkable enough that I never previously noticed this…
Daring to be Bold
I’ve been planning a tattoo with my daughter, who has almost reached her 18th birthday. She has sketched it over and over, perfected the slopes, and debated whether to add trees or birds within the circular border. Above it all is etched two small words I knew needed to be inscribed on my body the…
A Wrap of Seeking Whole in 2018
This will be my 6th year with a “one word” new years resolution. Rather than choosing something to “work on” I pray about the themes I see God weaving into my life. My word is less of a goal, and more of a treasure hunt through God’s action in my life. Just over 365 days…
Anchored Voices 