On Embracing Rest {part 1}
My life right now is not very conducive to embracing rest. My life right now is not very simplified… but I’m craving both rest and simplicity. Rest does not equal sleep. Rest is defined in several ways, and yes – sleep is one of them – but the definition of rest also...
On Dropping Perfect and Chasing Holy
The seeking of perfection can suck the joy from our souls if we allow it space in our hearts. The first Christmas was less than perfect, yet it was glorious. It was the greatest mix of holy and human. There was straw, shepherds, and a star. There were hard hearts, new...
On Embracing What the Trees Know
The trees know winter is coming, and they’re preparing for it from the inside out. I’m not quite sure how to process this knowledge that the trees have, but it feels important, kind of enormous. The trees flourish even (mostly?) in their dying. God has built Truth and...On Claiming Calm in Our Everyday
I may be a bit of a summertime Scrooge, but it feels like my family got slighted a bit this year with all the house craziness and pregnant mama chaos. I missed moments, entire days wiped out by fluster. My husband and I went on exactly two dates, and there was no...
On the ‘More’ My Heart Needs
I wrote recently about being a megaphone, about living in my sweet spot, about the job that has my hands and heart. Here’s what I didn’t share: sometimes it’s hard to watch others rise while you fall. Over the past year especially, I’ve...An Invitation to Be Beautiful
. . . This is grace, an invitation to be beautiful . . . We are invited, each of us, to be beautiful. To see and seek beauty in our everyday, in each other. And so our charge is not how to become more beautiful, but to ask instead: how can I add to the beauty? Does...
When Self-Care Looks Like Iced Tea & Earrings
Last week on Facebook I saw a picture that you’ve all probably seen too: someone sitting by a pool, book in hand, toes against blue water, and captioned ‘self care’. I straight laughed, because earlier that SAME day I’d had my 21 week OB visit....
A Standing Ovation for You
I watch the Bachelorette. And the Bachelor. It’s my brain candy and while I’m sure it rots my synapses like cavities in tooth enamel, I can’t quit. It’s a little like a train wreck that I can’t look away from, drawn in while holding my...On Taming My Tongue
It was late. I was tired and pregnant-sick and tired of being pregnant-sick. The text was a last-straw kind of deal and I snapped, in the way you’re able when it’s ‘just’ keys and screen. Our friendship hasn’t been the same since. The...
Stop Waiting to Be Ready.
I’ve heard the “wait till you’re ready” argument used for getting married, buying a home, changing careers, and having or not having children. These are huge things! Of course there are financial matters to consider. Of course there are steps to take before diving...
On Why I Will Treasure All of My Kids but (maybe) Not All of the Moments
So many, many feelings. There is a fire in my bones about this, and I’m hard-pressed to think of another post in which I’ve covered something so hot-button. But I can’t stop the pit in my stomach when I hear the phrase spoken and watch the guilt wash...Meet Anna
Anna E. Rendell: Author, latte lover. Content Marketing Manager at (in)courage by DaySpring. Wife of Jared and mom of four littles. Telling real stories from real life, and encouraging you to find the extra in your ordinary.
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The Christmas Couch!
