One Cracked Vessel

  Lent Day 3: “Alone” “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’””  -‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬ It’s no secret I’m mostly an introvert. I enjoy getting to know people and hearing their stories and I love a good get together. At the end of all that getting together, though, I need to be alone for a bit. Each year we try to make it to the beach with our family and whoever they bring along. While there is much I cherish about our yearly trips to the beach, my most cherished times are the moments I’m able to just simply sit on the beach at the edge of the ocean sitting in a chair low to the ground, feeling the waves come in and out across my feet. Alone. I d...

  Lent Day 2: “Tempted” “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Since our kids have gotten older, Alex and I have embarked on adventures. We have attended more concerts than I can count, taken short getaway trips to new places, and generally just had a good time together. I’ve never been very materialistic and don’t need the latest gadget, designer bag, or expensive jewelry. However, I do treasure making memories through experiences. This is something we tried to instill in our kids as they were growing up. We kept our Christmas to three presents (if three gifts were good enough for Jesus they are good enough for you) and we have routinely given circus, concert, and theater tickets in lieu of physical gifts.  As I was looking through old photos today while meditating on the ...

  Lent Day 1-Full “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬ I haven’t always observed lent in an intentional manner. A few years ago I stumbled upon a photo-a-day Instagram challenge for Lent. Prior to this project, my attempts to observe lent were mostly limited to giving up soda, sugar, or something along those lines. I was probably in my thirties before I seriously thought about observing lent with the practice of “giving up” or “adding” in order to be more mindful about the Easter journey. The year I first gave up soda turned into about two years of not drinking carbonated beverages. But the year I came across the Photo challenge changed how I viewed my practice of lent. It inspired my creativity and made me think about how God was working in my life through all of my experienc...

  On June 19, 1993, Alex and I exchanged simple gold rings bought on lay-a-way from what was a store called Service Merchandise. It seems utterly ridiculous looking back and I feel like everyone who knew us must have thought we had lost our minds. We met in October 1992 at the intramural field at the University of Montevallo. By December 26, 1992 we were officially engaged without an engagement ring and a proposal which was more of a question just brought up in natural conversation at a very romantic date at the Cracker Barrel.  So a few weeks after graduating with my Bachelor's Degree and a month and half before starting to work on my Master's Degree, we exchanged rings and have been together in sickness and health. At this point we have been together longer than the number of years we lived before knowing one another. The journey has been incredible, filled with experiences from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows... just like every other couple out there who have mov...