At church last Sunday we sang a song called “Surrounded” by Michael W. Smith. The lyrics say: “This is how I fight my battles It may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by You” I was lying on my bed this afternoon after a long past four days listening to this song. I was thinking about all the different kinds of battles we face: … Continue reading Battles

What a beautiful word: restoration. Three morphemes re (again) + store (to keep for the future) + ation (result of an action). It makes me think of a store, once full of valuable goods, but who’s shelves are now nearly bare after being opened up to the consumer world for so long. When the store is restocked with valuable goods, it has been restored to … Continue reading Restoration

Note: There was a time in my life where every day seemed to blend together in a black and white blur. I was severely depressed. Praise God I have been lifted up from that place, rescued from such a terrible time. But sometimes when the weather changes, especially in the fall and late winter/ early spring, I struggle as whisps of the dark cloud come … Continue reading Grey Wisps

There’s always been one thing that’s made the difference for me. There’s been this thing that made going to school worth it. Getting good grades worth it. Working hard worth it. Staying healthy worth it. Living my best life worth it. And that thing has always been music. When I came to college I stepped away from music for two reasons. The first: I was … Continue reading What Stays the Same

I’ve been on this Earth for over 21 years now and have spent that time growing up in a Christian household and engaging in numerous Christian communities. I’ve involved myself in a number of church services, youth groups, Bible studies, mission trips, etc. over that time. It’s fun to meet new people and share ideas about faith. But something that has baffled me about the … Continue reading The Plague

Trust is not something to be given out willy nilly. It takes time to build, to earn, and effort to keep. As we grow up we slowly learn who to trust and who not to, and how to hold ourselves back from trusting too easily. This is healthy because it helps us have wisdom and prevent our hearts from suffering from unnecessary pain. However, that … Continue reading For the Women Living in a World Where Men Leave

“Want to go to a worship event with me this Friday?” “There’s a bonfire this Friday. I could give you a ride if you want!” “Are you going to Bible study this Friday?” For some people all these options to choose from on a Friday night might sound like a great time. But for an introvert who needs to recharge after a long week it … Continue reading An Introvert in Extrovert’s Clothing

There are moments in our lives that influence how things will play out throughout our lives based on how we handle them. It’s often difficult to identify them in the moment, but years later we can look back down the road and see a decision that we made that got us to where we are today. There were a number of moments that influenced my … Continue reading Habits, Communities, and Runaways

It’s so easy to feel that we are not enough. We make mistakes, we fail, we go left when we should go right. No one on this earth is perfect, and for standards that we set for ourselves maybe we really aren’t enough. We’re our own worst critics half the time, so how can we live with acceptance of ourselves when we’re constantly feeling that … Continue reading Letting Him Be Enough

I feel a mix of emotions this evening sitting here by the clock tower on campus, listening to the geese down by the pond and watching the sky grow darker. When I left campus two days ago it was still buzzing with life despite the number of people who had already left for the summer. Now I’m back and everything’s quiet. Another summer at Roberts … Continue reading Transition