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How a Chopping Board Imbued My Days With Greater Intention
When Lars and I got married, someone gave us a set of bamboo chopping boards. There were three of them, small, medium, and large, and they practically oozed luxury, at least in my mind…
Elote Dip Recipe (Mexican Street Corn)
I saved this recipe on Pinterest because I really, REALLY want to host a dip party. But when a friend decided to host a Nacho Birthday Party, I thought making this dip would be a fantastic life choice…
“When Have I Done Enough?”
Maybe the point that "I've made it" isn't some far-off hypothetical. Maybe it's decided moment-by-moment as I check in with myself and my Creator.
A guest post by author Cydnie Trenholm
Scrolling Instead of Living
Have you ever looked at your screentime and felt so absolutely discouraged that you stopped trying to reduce it? Have you ever set a goal that you didn’t reach, so you just gave up on trying? Me too. However, after a heckin’ ton of trial and error, here are nine things that have helped me to truly reduce my screentime.
Walking in the Waiting
In May, I spoke it out loud for the first time to my husband, Lars. Around the same time, I sat in a Walmart parking lot after work and had a phone interview for the job I applied for in April. The car was hot and stuffy, and when the interviewer prayed for me at the end of our call, I could feel tears streaming down my face, but didn’t know why.
The Note I Kept For Over A Year
When I returned to work, I wrote that quote my friend shared on a sticky note and kept it in my agenda as a reminder. A mini pep-talk to remind me that this, too, was not in vain. I looked at it daily for over a year.
Pickled Red Onions Recipe
AKA the recipe that’s changed our lives and quite probably the best thing to come out of 2025.
Love is For the Ones Who Love the Work
I do not remember my counselor from that 2005 camp weekend long ago. I do not remember the speaker or their messages. I don’t remember any of my tent mates, or the food we ate, or any games we played. But what I do remember is that little pinto horse.
On the Work God Does in the Background
… After another hopeless tug, the desperate truth dawned on me: I had locked my keys in my car. At the gas station. My phone taunted me from the passenger seat.
beauty from the ashes
Even after all the death and destruction the forest had gone through, new life was pushing its way through the cracked ground. Even after all that had been lost, hope was not lost. Even after seven years of trees that could no longer grow, a fresh forest was spreading. The cones and seeds that were buried under heaps of ash and soot had persevered, pushing ever upward.
the best road name of all time
We were driving on the left side of the road when I saw it—the sign I’d been waiting for my whole life.
25 things I learned + loved this past year
As a little birthday gift from me to you, I’ve made a list of the top things that made my year, from recipes to music to books. Here’s a little sneak peek into the things that shaped me. The things I loved. The things I learned. I’m praying that this list will encourage you, inspire you, and maybe even challenge you to get out and try something new or a little bit out of your comfort zone!
Counting His Goodness
This week, at a particularly low point, God showered me with unnecessary and unexpected goodnesses to remind me that even here, He is still faithful. He still notices. And He still cares.
In Process: How Renos Parallel Life
In 2022, Lars and I bought a small fixer-upper.
Correction: our house is small, but the fixer-upper aspect of it is vast. When we first stepped into the carpeted kitchen, the musty smell of mildew assaulted us. I may have imagined it, but every step left puffs of dust in its wake. The drop ceiling poorly hid fifteen rows of fluorescent lightbulbs.
Sheet Pan Meal Recipe
The easiness of this meal will rock your world! It tastes fantastic and the prep time is even more appealing—try it today!
time around the table
Every time we are sitting at this table, I feel the crushing weight of how precious time is—how fleeting. Both Gran and Pap share yarns from their lives and ask questions about ours. Five years is a long time to catch up on and I find myself hungry to sop up every last bit of the stories they share.
I had a pin go viral on Pinterest—here’s what changed
As a writer who hopes to one day publish a book, growing my audience is often on my mind. I hate the thought of self-promotion and balk at sharing something as simple as a blog post. I just want to write, not promote my writing!
Replacement is Easier
We had issues over this time, yes, but I couldn’t see them becoming big enough to cause irreparable fissures and cracks. I was used to long-distance relationships. I was used to low-maintenance relationships, too.
When Prayer Became More Than Words
I never doubted my faith, but what I did doubt was myself—whether I was good enough or whether I was doing enough to earn God's love. I treated my relationship with God like a checklist for many years. Read this guest post from writer Krista Krahn.
The Way God Gets My Attention + A Promise
Just before Enoch went to the ER, when my stress levels were peaking, Lars and I hopped out of the car after church. I glanced down. It was on one of the branches of a dying plant that I noticed it.
