We live close to train tracks that carry freight cars all day, all night. Frequently - especially on weekends - you will find trainspotters standing around, camp chairs set up, binoculars, old style video recorders in hand, phones at the ready as they wait for the scheduled engine to pass by. I can't relate to this passion, but I can appreciate how this is fun for them. To me, watching someone enjoy a niche interest, or seeing someone with a unique talent points to a Creator

This post was originally published 6 years ago. I stand in the kitchen on a rainy October day eating blueberry coffee cake. My mom has...

In my last post, I mentioned that I'll be working through suggesting books to read for Bible study, aka a Bible Literacy Journey. You can read that post here. Let's get started! Remember when you'd get the packing list for camp and you'd pack that Bible, flashlight, sleeping bag and pen with an intense expectation of the best week ever? Think of this as your Bible Literacy Journey packing list. (Also, I think I need a new name for it... I'll work on that.) Today we're startin

A thought has been needling my brain over the last couple of years and I have yet to do anything about it. So, what better day than today...

Sunset at Indiana Dunes State Park We typically hold out for fall, winter and spring hikes, leaving the summertime to the ticks, tourists and full parking lots. On a crisp fall day, when you reach the top of the 270ish steps at West Beach and see the Chicago skyline across the lake you'll be impressed (with the view AND yourself)! And when you catch a perfect sunset on the lakefront - you'll be posting at least a thousand pics to try to capture the colors. Within the Indiana

My summer reading habits are always a bit on the lighter side with mysteries, quick reads that don't take much focus, and audiobooks, so my list of recommended books today will be short. The good part is that the books that were well-written really stood out! (Like after you come home from a vacation where you ate everything in sight, and then you have that first home cooked meal with protein in it. Same feeling basically.) So let's skip the gas station snacks and get right t

Me: coming out of hibernation. The books I need to recommend to you: stacking up. The blog: sitting here like a forlorn little blossom....

Hi All! There are not many areas in life where I would stand up and {gently} elbow you over and say, "honey, honey, let me handle this"...

On a warmer, balmier, kinder weather day in October I started a challenge that has slowly morphed into pursuing 100 days straight of...

I forced myself to read non-fiction that took more concentration so I didn't get lazy in my reading -and then listened to audiobooks

This clearly isn't a great picture, so let me explain why I'm using it. I remember taking it three years ago. Sitting in a parking lot,...

Tuna salad sandwich, applesauce and cottage cheese were for lunch today. Mainly because it's September. "What does September have to do...

Welcome to the end of August! A beautiful breeze, a cup of coffee and a denial from Amazon saying I can no longer earn commission on any...

We're heading quickly toward the 4th quarter of the year - and everyone knows the 4th quarter is the most exciting to watch! So, as your...

Hey, Hey, It's Theology Thursday! I have plans for the fall as to what topic I'll be digging into, but today is wrap up day: This summer I explored the topic of prayer. Here are my top takeaways: -The two books I enjoyed the most on the topic were one I discussed in full here: When God is Silent and another one that kind of surprised me, to be honest. It's a book called Praying With Paul by D.A. Carson. I found this book to be so encouraging, so well-written (at times, he mad

If I could do it all over again, I would love to be a travel agent or tour guide, as I love to find little hidden places or unique spots to visit. I've never passed a road I didn't want to drive down! And having gone to college in downtown Chicago, visiting the city many, many times over the years, having a husband who works there...all these add up to me being quite familiar with the city and having developed my favorite spots to stop. I'll skip over the museums (go - they'r

“I’m fairly local. I’ve been around. / I’ve seen the streets you’re walking down.” -Twenty One Pilots There's a new grocery store that's...

At first I wrote this out all happy and rah-rah, but I don't think I put enough emphasis on how overwhelming it was for me when I was...

A verse pulled completely out of context promising wealth and health if only the person would pray "right." A talk on how questioning the...

So maybe writing a post sounded enticing as it keeps me in the comfort of the air conditioning! Heat has crept into our area, storms rolling through, humidity blanketing any physical efforts. Ah, summertime! But really, I'm writing this because July is about to end - which is exciting in our house, because my husband won a photography contest and his picture was chosen for August on a local calendar. It's about to be the Month of HIM around here! But before that celebration b