Thoughts from a Stumbling Saint

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.

book review: cathedral

I meant to post this on December 18th – Cathedral‘s official release date… one speech tournament, a set of finals, and a broken computer later, here it is at last. Forgive the delay.

weight

Wander, gently, into the grey of twilight,
the quiet half-light between day and dark,
where pine boughs murmur of the coming night,
and swaying, the silent shadows mark
that rest draweth nigh.

death, faithfulness, and a glimpse of heaven

Do you ever have those moments where you’re living life, being in the present, just doing what you do, and then it hits you? – I’m going to die. One day, I’m going to die. In a flash, you see time for what it really is compared to eternity. You feel the weight of needing to do something with your life. And you resolve, once more, not to waste it.