Joy for your Body: Movement

“ Meanwhile, Jesus would slip away to deserted places and pray.” -Luke 5:16 It’s not always what you do but how you do it.  As someone who struggles with how to actually implement self-care this idea has helped me understand in a new way.  For me, exercise has been a concrete example to practice self-care. 

Comfort for your Body: Self-Care (Luke 5:16)

“ Meanwhile, Jesus would slip away to deserted places and pray.” -Luke 5:16 “Go home.” I looked up at my boss, startled by his sharp tone. Leaning against the jam, he pushed his head through the cracked opening in my office door.  “Go home. Read a book. I think you need a break.” A million

Comfort for your Body: Aging (Matthew 6:25)

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”  -Matthew 6:25 As I age it seems life’s complications and difficulties increase exponentially.  Things aren’t getting

Kind Reminder for your Body: Aging

It’s a privilege to grow old. This week’s mantra reminds us that while getting older and accepting our limitations is a challenge, it is also a privilege.  Not everyone grows old.  If you are feeling young, not old, hooray.  This mantra can be an invitation to show gracious kindness to those who do feel the

Comfort for your Body: Chronic Pain (John 1:14)

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 After the birth of my oldest son, in my early 30’s, I was diagnosed with hypothyroid disease.  My fatigue had gotten quite overwhelming, but I

Comfort for your Body: Listening to your body (Psalm 56:8)

“You have kept count of my tossings;put my tears in your bottle.Are they not in your record?” -Psalm 56:8 Our bodies have often been seen as something separate from our true selves or our spiritual being.  But, in fact, we are created with bodies by God.  And our bodies, instead of being separate from, often

Comfort for your Body: In God’s Image (And it’s good) (Genesis 2:7)

“Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” -Genesis 2:7 “Women are promised they can manage the chaos ruling their life by following a laid-out plan…this mass consumerism is a vehicle for harnessing everything that

Treasure in Clay Jars

‘But we have this treasure in clay jars…”  -2 Corinthians 4:7 It is only through our bodies that we are able to experience the world. Our bodies are amazing. And they are also fragile, frail. They are miraculous and intricate. While we expect health and well-being, the reality of living (and aging) is that there

Embodied Existence

Last week, I took a few days away from my normal life and found myself eating my way through one of my favorite cities. While it was fun to have some space from the rhythms of parenting, cooking and housekeeping, the primary reason I was in Harrisonburg was to spend some in-person time with Gwen

A Blessing (Matthew 6:25-37)

Our lives and our problems will continue to unfold in this beautiful progression we call time.   In the gospel of Matthew these words of Jesus are retold and written as prose.  I’ve taken the liberty to turn them into a more poetic format.   May the words of Jesus offer you comfort today. “Therefore I