We need to remember to dream big dreams, to live our lives in abundance. We never give up, we never give in, and we always reach for the impossible.
If our dream is possible without the Divine, it’s not a dream from the Divine.
We want to press even deeper into the words of life and encouragement that are waiting to be given to us. We want to dream ever bigger and more expansive dreams. It is for freedom and dreams of the impossible that we have been set free and given life. The more that we embrace these dreams, the more we live into our destiny.
So be encouraged!
Your dreams, your passion, your heart’s desire…
These are all the things that deserve to be breathed back into life.
HELP WANTED: A Village (or a Church?)
Those of you who know me personally, you know I’m a huge advocate of the Church. Especially the Big, Wide, Spacious, Generous, all over the place, hot mess Church. I’ve spent my life in some form of ministry and have even done reconciliation work on personal and broader levels in helping people, churches, faiths, and organizations reconcile. I believe in it. I think it’s amazing… when it’s done right. When it’s the “Household of God” like it’s supposed to be. And in Jewish tradition, that...
read moreI Believe In Us
I believe in us. I mean that. The last 9 months have felt like a train wreck for a number of those in my circles. People have felt threatened – have experienced personal violence and attacks because of the current political climate. We’ve watched the violence and hatred increase, and it seems like all of the most disgusting and vile things in our country are coming to the light like an infestation of cockroaches. I have never been more astonished by what I’ve seen in the political arena than I have been since November. And...
read moreWhen will it be the right time?
Once again, husband and I are entering a season of transition. It seems to be a regular thing for us, so I wonder whether or not I can even call it “again” – or if I should just call it “still.” We have been with friends here in Seattle, but now that time is drawing to a close, and we are caught in a little bit of limbo. It’s about timing right now. It’s time for us to leave, but then there are others we’re praying about being in community with, but the timing isn’t quite right....
read moreHolstee 2: Do What You Love
If you didn’t see my previous post on the Holstee Manifesto (This is your life) please feel free to go check it out. I’ve been a bit hard on myself behind the scenes of this blog. Mainly because once I launched the official site all those months ago, I wanted to post close to every day. But time, and moving, and life got the best of me. Then, I was committed. I did a flurry of guest posts in November/December and was convinced that I was now going to *write*. Oh, I had glorious intentions, and a notebook full of post ideas. None...
read moreHiding Your Heart
I have dreams about packing. Unpacking. Repacking. Suitcases, boxes, again and again and again. I take things out, I repack them. I make things fit better. I simplify, I clean, I pack, I sort. Over and over and over again. And I’ve been having these dreams for the past two years. For one of those years, I was settled in a place that I thought would be home for years. I never thought I’d have to leave. And then things began to change. We began to get a sense that God was calling us away from the ‘home’ that we knew....
read moreDoing It Afraid 6: Repentance
“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.” ― Albert Einstein This blog is actually more of a reflection on this blog by Julien Smith called “The Complete Guide to Snapping the @#$% Out of It” Most of us, when we think of repentance have some mental image which involves groveling, crying out, confessing horrific deeds. And the New Year is normally the world-side season of this kind of repentance. We talk about all our bad habits, our not-so-great habits, and the habits that we wish we...
read moreTo See the World Anew
I love taking picture of the little ones in my life. Nieces, nephews, god-children, and friends. Yes, you can be honest to goodness *friends* with a child without any weirdness. Some of my most clever and insightful friends are 2, or 5, or 7 years old. And sometimes it makes me sad how suspicious we adults have become. I watch my younger friends and their approach to the world, with wonder and awe and beauty and humor. They run around freely. Completely. Unashamed. It’s not until we teach them not to be themselves that they begin to act...
read moreFeeling Grateful?
Over the past few months, I’ve had a number of guest posts emerge… But the few over at Squidoo have been my favourites. They’re on gratitude and living lives that reflect gratitude more often. So if you will, please make sure to go have a look-see. I’m quite proud of them, you know? The series has been: Cultivating a Lifestyle of Gratitude Post 1: Saying Grace Post 2: Nightly Reflections Post 3: Be An Encourager And if you like them, please share the links! I’d love to see more people living out of a place of...
read moreCommitment is Hard
I saw this the other day and just about fell over I loved it so much. You see, I’ve made a commitment to myself to continue being healthy. And any commitment is hard. It takes sacrifice. Sometimes we make commitments when we should avoid them. Our lives are about choosing our commitments and sticking to them. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. What you accomplish in yours reveals the priority of your commitments. It is not because of other people that our dreams fail to become reality. It is because of the choices we make. We can...
read moreDoing It Afraid 2: This Is Your Life
Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life. Are you ready for it? It is, after all *your* life. But what does that really mean? One day, you will decide to wake up, and take ownership of your life. It will become your own. It won’t belong to anybody else, and no one else will be responsible for it. And this possibility is both liberating and terrifying. Liberating, because the only person who will hold you accountable is yourself. You’ll begin to realize that your life isn’t about what other people want from you. You...
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