collections of stories
When I was 6, a kid on the playground called me fat and I haven’t been the same since. I was six. Then in fourth grade, someone took a picture of me during my history presentation and I learned how to look at myself with disgust. “Ew, I look so fat.” “That’s such a bad [...]
This week I received some hard news. It caught me off guard, but even in that moment I realized how gracious God was that I happened to be in my parked car, it was a Saturday when I didn’t have a lot of plans, and I was able to take in what was happening and [...]
Before you say, "there she is!!"... 2018 hasn't gone any way that I thought it would. I really should know better. That when I make a plan, it gets flipped on it's head. This is why my senior year of high school, when I planned to go to a small liberal arts school and be [...]
Since the beginning, some of my most obedient steps (not all, but most) have been to stay put. Off hand, that feels boring and like a cop out. Maybe staying even feels like disobedience because we always talk about following God into the unknown. Trust me, I know. But we don’t [...]
I was watching Friends (for the 6th or 7th time) this week. I am in season 4 when Ross and Emily are about to get married and Rachel has this wave of boldness where she feels the greatest urge to tell Ross that she’s still in love with him. Everyone, literally everyone, tells her that’s [...]
the love of life... is Christ, but His bride is a close second. My heart overflows a little more, each time I walk in her doors astounded and in awe with fresh perspective as to where this branch of the bride of Christ has been. This branch runs deep in me, it's where I found a [...]
On March 12th, I woke up at 3:47am. I sat up straight and I heard, felt, sensed God tell me... “I really am making ALL things NEW.” I’ve never been one to say that “God told me…” or “I heard God say…” because I feel like He never speaks to me audibly. [...]
About 6 months ago, I encountered a season that felt familiar (as in a trend) but at the same time it felt so distant and new to me that I didn’t know what to do. History came to repeat itself when I had three panic attacks in one day. Nobody did anything wrong, I had [...]
Everything. I met KT during a conference the first year I began working for the local church. I met her because we were stuck in a van together, our van was definitely the best, in May of 2013. When we got home, I asked her if she would mentor me and she graciously [...]
In July of 2015, I was working for a summer camp in Panama City Beach, Florida. Before every night session at camp we would meet in the green room for a production meeting and a devotional. The devotional that night was out of Psalm 51… Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew [...]
The Celeste Elizabeth 