“How I Compare Coffee to Having a Relationship with Jesus” – Tessa Emily Hall | Guest Post

I am so excited to welcome Tessa Emily Hall to the blog in this fabo guest post! She loves coffee just as much as I do (maybe more ... which is awesome) and is the author of Coffee Shop Devos {affiliate link}, which releases on September 18, 2018. Read on as she examines spiritual parallels to coffee. …

Ash Wednesday

Of the liturgical church calendar, I miss the Lenten services (most notably Ash Wednesday and Maundy Thursday) the most. I attended a Presbyterian church for many years, both as a child and as a young adult, and only grew to appreciate the liturgy during my later years of attendance. The solemnity of these services reminds …

Shrove Tuesday: Beginnings

And so it begins: Shrove Tuesday. Shrove is the past tense of shrive; per Dictionary.com, (to) shrive is defined as: impose penance on (a sinner). grant absolution to (a penitent). hear the confession of (a person). The French interpret this as Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday" - a day of celebration before the extended period of fasting. Many traditions …

Lent 2017: In Preparation

Lent 2017: In Preparation Lent 2017 begins next week! I can't believe the season is already upon us. Fat Tuesday, aka Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras, is typically a feast day made even more celebratory by its successor, Ash Wednesday. The latter marks the day many begin 40 days (excluding Sundays) of penance. Ideally, the penitent …

Singleness: SUPER OKAY! {A Christian girl chimes in}

Earlier this week, I ran across this article about (not) dating. I LOVE IT. Shelly Wildman's many truthful zingers truly strike a chord with me, and I wanted to share it for the singles reading this - as well as those supporting them! Singleness requires just as much support as marriage - it just looks different. The …

Advent in Pictures: Christmas Day

Merry Christmas!!! We made it! Thank you for joining me in the journey toward Christmas Day, seeing Advent come to life in pictures and readings. Today marks the official celebration of Christ's birth (though the date itself sparks many an online debate, with which I won't dilute today's significance and celebration). Today we light the …

Advent in Pictures: Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve, my friends! We light the Christ (white) candle in the middle of the Advent wreath either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day; it varies based on the day of the week that Christmas Day falls. While I save the final candle lighting for tomorrow, in keeping with a Sunday routine, let us still partake of …

Advent in Pictures: Fourth Sunday in Advent

Today, the fourth Sunday in Advent, we light the corresponding fourth candle in the Advent wreath. This purple candle is often known as the "angel candle" or "candle of love", as the day's readings focus on the annunciation of the birth of Christ. Today's theme is purity, or love - depending on which website you ask …

Advent in Pictures: Third Sunday in Advent

Today marks the third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete comes from the Latin for Rejoice, the first word in today's Catholic mass from Philippians 4:4-6 and Psalm 85:1: Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete. Modestia vestra nota sit omnibus hominibus: Dominus enim prope est. Nihil solliciti sitis: sed in omni oratione et obsecratione cum gratiarum …

Advent in Pictures: Second Sunday in Advent

Today is the second Sunday of Advent. The second purple candle, also known as the "Bethlehem candle" or "candle of Peace", is lit in remembrance of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem and the prophets who foretold it. I spent only a short time in Bethlehem on my 2010 visit. Held by the Palestinian National Authority since …