Libby Powell

interlude: february ’22

Spring is almost upon us – can you believe it? – that turning of the seasons from grey and bitter cold to a world bathed in greens and new growth, small bursts of golden sunlight along the way. As the crocuses pop their heads above ground, and the snowdrops peak at the ground like shy maidens (wary of the blossom-eating bunnies), I find that my mind, too, is crowded with new ideas, peeping out from recesses here and there, sometimes grand and sometimes little – all manner of surprises to be examined and sorted through. One such bashful thought hung around a bit, and grew, and changed, and grew some more, until it made up its mind that it wanted to be given a chance…

cover reveal: the reflections

I jolted awake this morning to the garbage truck growling into our cul-de-sac (considering our bins weren’t out yet, it was quite the race over the dewy concrete in my slippers… before I realized the truck was actually a yard waste collector – blessed revelation that came a little too late). But, as I was walking back to the house, anticipating the wall heater that would greet me by the front door, the feeling washed over me that despite my less-than-lovely a.m. escapade, it was actually a very beautiful, sunny morning. And so it is – the skies are clear, the air is crisp and very cold, and every breath out of doors is like inhaling the invigorating aroma of life.

How fitting, on such a gorgeous day, to have the privilege of sharing with you the gorgeous cover for E.K. Seaver’s upcoming book.

best books of 2021 (and other highlights)

I really should have posted this at the end of December. Or at least planned it for the beginning of January. But life happened, as it always does. Things were rather hectic over the holidays. And maybe I was tad bit less than organized. Regardless, I’m doing this now because, well, better late than never (at least that’s what they say).

wandering reflections on the new year

So… it’s been a year.

And if I had to describe 2021, I’d say it was certainly a ride.

At times, it seemed a crazy wild ride, with all the ups and downs and curly cues life tends to throw. At other times, it felt very streamlined, like I was rushing superfast toward an end goal, the scenery along the way turned into a blur, traveling so fast I couldn’t catch my breath. Thing after thing after thing kept me going, going, going. And then BOOM. All of a sudden, 2021 is over. And as I think back, I can see a lot of reasons why I’m ready to get off and start afresh.

remember why you do it – a letter from Grace

In fall of 2020, I met a young woman who quickly won my respect and admiration – first as an author, and over the months as a dear friend. I’d like to introduce you to Grace A. Johnson, a.k.a. Gracie, who kindly agreed to write the first guest post on Thoughts from a Stumbling Saint. Gracie and I are different in many ways, have different tastes, styles, and perspectives… to be honest, we had a bit of a hard time coming up with a post we were both satisfied with. But here we finally are (thanks for sticking around, Gracie!) and I am so pleased to share with you her thoughts on a topic that I think is close to home for a lot of us. My prayer is that her words would encourage you as they encouraged me, and that the Lord would use them to redirect and refresh your heart as you journey on.