When I was in college, living in Paris, one of my favorite quotes was from Mark Twain: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in […]
Confronting Sarah
by on March 12, 2018 10 Comments
Hagar is misunderstood. And misrepresented. Her outline is sketched in contrast to Sarah, Abraham’s wife and would-be matriarch of Israel. In Sarah’s shadow, Hagar is a slave girl from Egypt who caters to her whims. But she also serves at her point of deepest woe—barrenness that denies her the glory of a child, the respect […]
Finding My Way Back to the Beginning
by on February 12, 2018 8 Comments
By Stefanie Norlin | Twitter: @stefanienorlin The summer after fourth grade, my best friend Juliana and I decided to conduct an experiment. Standing on stools in my mother’s kitchen, we held cold eggs in one hand and punctured the tops and bottoms of them with a straight pin. Then we blew the yellow yolks into small Pyrex […]
When Life Gets in the Way
by on December 20, 2017 13 Comments
I entered Advent with a bit of a swagger this year. We’ve done this before! We’re figuring out a routine and rhythm that work for our family! I don’t want to use the word “expert,” but “confident” definitely encompassed my attitude as we approached that first Sunday in December. You probably know where this is […]
Grown Ups Need Timeouts Too
by on November 27, 2017 8 Comments
Recently, a friend of mine posted a verse on Instagram. Psalm 84:5-7, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you … they go from strength to strength.” It’s a perfectly lovely verse, but as I read it, the words that came out of my mouth were an accusation. “That’s not true,” I muttered. And I […]
