“Sweaty, exhausted, and completely disheveled, I trudged up the steep street to our house. Passersby wondered why a grown woman like me was walking with the seat of my pants soaked and stained with mud, the pant legs drenched from my knees to my ankles. I shoved my mittens into my coat pockets to unlock the front door. Kicking off my snow boots, I slid to the floor and sighed, ‘Thank you, Lord, for getting me home safely.’
I’d been foolish—dangerously foolish.“
This is the beginning of the true story I’m sharing in my monthly newsletter, landing in subscriber inboxes on Tuesday. If you want to read the rest and haven’t subscribed yet, you can sign up here.
This week on the blog: My Journey to Clarity—The Purposeful Pen Podcast Interview
PRAISE DUE: 3 RIGHT REASONS TO PRAISE PEOPLE | ABIGAIL WALLACE
A beautifully written challenge to intentionally give people the praise they’re due as a means of giving glory to God. This is a perspective I haven’t seen written elsewhere, and it was a breath of fresh air for me.
THE SHEEP DON’T KNOW | SETH LEWIS
A lovely reflection on what it means to be human. It’s short, too. A worthy word indeed.
WHY GOOGLING WON’T CURE YOUR ANXIETY | BETHANY BRODERICK
“When I face suffering, doubt, or uncertainty, I’m tempted to believe that the more information I have, the more I can control the situation. I surrender my heart and mind to the pursuit of understanding in the futile hope that the idol of knowledge will save me from my worries.”
SUMMER HEAT | SUSAN LAFFERTY
As someone who greatly struggles with the heat of summer, I was fascinated by Susan’s description of how they dealt with it in Karachi. I was also challenged by the lesson she learned through the unbearable heat.
MIND YOUR PLATFORM | ADAM SALLOUM
“I fear that we may have begun adopting these tools with little scrutiny. We marvel at the fact that things “can be done” and skip over the question of “should they be done?” How are we to think about our relationship to the platforms available to us? While our engagement with social media and platforms will vary greatly depending on our calling and our context, there are a few patterns I’ve noticed that I think we should be wary of.”
2 Responses
That article on platform was very convicting. Loved this line: “[Jesus] focused most of his time instilling his voice within his closest friends, trusting that they would carry it to others.” Praying over this perspective as I break from social media for the month of August. Thanks, Jana!
Thanks for chiming in, Cheryl! Yes, I always welcome some healthy biblical reflection on platform-building and how we use technology, including social media. Glad you enjoyed it. And may your social media break be a time of rest and renewed inspiration!