Hot Tea and the Holy Spirit

I've been crying a lot lately.  Not like all-day sob-fests, but a minute here, a minute there--just enough to wet the steering wheel when my new favorite song, Counting My Blessings by Seph Schlueter, comes on the radio in the school carline. By the time the kids are in the car, the evidence is all dried up, but the crossing guard might have gotten a show. This song has been hitting me hard.  The more that I look in the details, the more of Your goodness I find.--SS To explain my delicate emotions, let me fill you in on a few of my details .  The first detail is that I'm house-hunting. Well, sort of. We're intending to move when school gets out, so we're basically voyeuring on Zillow without any actual buying power until we can list and sell our current home.  The second detail is that the other day I found my dream home.  Technically my husband found it. He had this wild look in his eye as he began to turn his phone screen in my direction. "If we really wante...

Have you ever had an aching back? A crick in the neck? Something with your muscles, bones, ligaments, or tendons that was just off ? Many moons ago I trained to be a Pilates instructor. Pilates is a full-body exercise discipline that focuses on strengthening a body's "core" or "powerhouse," which includes all of the muscles of the abdomen, glutes, and back. When these muscles are strengthened, they help hold everything else in alignment. Alignment is one of the key pillars of Pilates. Done properly, Pilates strengthens and restores, and is even frequently recommended for physical therapy patients. However, as is the case with most forms of exercise, if done incorrectly, it can cause strain and even damage. Your body needs to be properly aligned (or moving toward alignment) to do the simple moves effectively. Proper and effective movement encourages and reinforces alignment, which allows the moves to be even more powerful. I thought of all this when reflecting on...

As I write today, I am on day 4 of a fast.  Now, the Bible says fasts should be done in secret: When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18, NIV So why am I declaring my fast to the world? I tell you of my fast not to boast, but to confess.  Every January my church encourages congregational participation in 21 days of prayer and fasting, and every January, I can't wait to start.  This is because annually, by year's end, my family tends to be in need of a massive reset.  Inevitably, by December our choices in food, the things we spend our time on, and the ways we treat each other have gone off t...