because i have no words of my own, i’ll stay in the lowercase of my heart and share the words of others.

———-
Ann Voskamp: The Truth about Sandy Hook: Where is God When Bad Things Happen? If you read one of these links, make it this one. {on Advent and the snakes’ defeat and being audacious in the light-darkness of Christmas.

Jen Hatmaker: Lamentations {So I told God I missed the old me, which I totally don’t. I didn’t mean a stitch of it, even as the words were pouring out, furious, heartbroken. I just needed a safe place to fall apart, to grieve and wail and lose it completely, and God is that place for me.}

Vibrant Faith at Home: In Response {a few ways to help you and your family process tragedy, including a beautiful prayer.}

Marketing Mama: and then I taught my children to ‘play dead’  {‘Always trying to strike a healthy balance of educating and empowering without scaring them. So Friday night, when the topic of bad guys came up, I talked to them, briefly, about what to do if there was a bad guy. It included hiding, running and playing dead. Yes, playing dead.’}

Rage Against the Minivan: that’s what SHE said: reactions to the newtown tragedy {a collection of well-written pieces from across the internet}

———-

the thread running between all these words is the benchmark of this holy season – hope and peace and redemption. even hoping for peace. even asking for peace. even recognizing that peace sits better in our souls than evil.

Photobucket

and if we zoom into that peace – the kind of peace that makes no sense at all, that surpasses our piddly understanding, that comes from The Source – we find hope.

Photobucket


perhaps a small bit of it {just a smidge}, but hope nonetheless. and with that tiny flicker of hope, we pray redemption over our world, our lives, our hearts. that Emmanuel would come and redeem that which remains broken. He came once as a tiny babe, a Savior who grew into a poor and lowly carpenter, the Messiah who died on a cross, God who died and rose again. We need you, Lord, and the redemption that you bring.

o come o come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel…

-anna
{girl with blog}

*this post was inspired by my heart, overwhelmed with the horrific act in newtown, and the wreath hanging on my door this season which declares hope begins here

Vote For Us @ TopBabyBlogs.Com - A Top Baby Blog List By topbabyblogs.com
I’d love to make this list of top baby blogs. Just click here or the above icon,
then click the owl on the left!

anna
{girl with blog}
———-
www.twitter.com/anna_r
www.facebook.com/girlwithblog
www.pinterest.com/anna_r

Pin It on Pinterest