BY MARY DEMUTH:

What if our act of patience, fueled by the Spirit within us, was not merely so we could endure our adult children’s choices, but for our betterment? What if this is not about our kids at all, but about our relationship with God? 

STORY BY CHRISTINE CRAWFORD: I was in the throes of grief from the unwanted end of my marriage when a friend recommended I go on a silent retreat. So, naively hoping the experience would expedite my healing, I wandered into the desert for three whole days. Completely and utterly alone. In complete and utter silence.

ART + REFLECTION BY SOFIA RECTOR: It takes chosen silence—solitude—to trace the shape of a tree, to follow the movement of its growth

BY ERIKA TOVI: When I begin my internship, I’m vulnerable, deferential, and insecure. I do almost anything I’m asked because I believe it’s good for my character. People describe me as sweet. So, so sweet.

ART + REFLECTION BY SOFIA RECTOR: You give me a picture that signifies flowers, with bold lines that don't waver, uncompromising angles, controlled geometries, And I point, saying with you, "Flowers."

BY KARYSSA A. ALLEN AND TALITHA SUMMERS: Jesus called the church to represent Him on earth, but Christians too often fall short.

ARTICLE BY CHRISTINE CRAWFORD: Whether you're navigating a painful relationship or supporting someone who is, these seven resources offer helpful insight and healing.

BY NATALIE HOFFMAN: A normal marriage never feels like you’re living in the Twilight Zone because a normal, healthy marriage is mutual and reciprocal, not one-sided and bewildering.

REFLECTION BY CHRISTINE CRAWFORD: When you came to understand she was worthy of safety, dignity, and kindness, you would return to her. Because you believed her, and loved her, and celebrated her. Because she was not invisible. And she was not nothin’.

ARTICLE BY CHRISTINE CRAWFORD: July 4th weekend was supposed to be a celebration. In a matter of hours, my quiet Hill Country town became catastrophic front-page news.

REFLECTION BY CHRISTINE CRAWFORD: What if our hurts, questions, and doubts are the very thresholds where we are most tenderly met, deeply known, carefully held, gently stretched, and finally made whole?

ART + REFLECTION BY SOFIA RECTOR: Leaves fall in the late autumn to reveal bare branches--but also hope: furry buds tightly curled, awaiting spring warmth.

I remember, too, the sunrise. The miracleof dawn just when I deemed myselfdestined to dwell darkened forever

ARTICLE BY CHRISTINE CRAWFORD: Caring for our souls and stewarding our humanity aren't just good ideas; they're biblical mandates. It’s part of our divine assignment and God's invitation to nurture our lives and loves for our good and his glory.

ARTICLE BY CHRISTINE CRAWFORD: We seek more than a faith that knows about God, does for God, or strives to meet expectations we imagine come from God. That kind of faith leaves us feeling disconnected, disillusioned, and like something might be missing. That's because it is. We've been missing the invitation.

MUSIC BY ELIZABETH STEWART: Musician Elizabeth Stewart shares her heart and story of struggling with hope and faith after loss.

READING BY ELIZABETH STEWART: How lovely is the place where you live, O Lord who rules over all! I desperately want to be in the courts of the Lord’s temple. My heart and my entire being shout for joy to the living God.

READING BY ELIZABETH STEWART: A favorite prayer from The Valley of Vision (Authur Bennett, Editor) for those suffering from loss or struggling with faith.

POEM BY RACHEL JOY WELCHER: When will you realize, oh my soul, that there will always be a child born on the same day that someone else dies?

ART + REFLECTION BY SOFIA RECTOR: "Tell all the truth but tell it slant..."