Sophie is a talker, a question asker, a truth seeker. She's the girl you pick up from Sunday School, who talks all the way home about what they learned, why it does (or doesn't) make sense, and where it can be found in the Bible. It's been fun to have deep conversations with her as she grows and to watch as Biblical principles start to make sense in her own mind. Back in October, she -- very matter-of-factly -- came home and asked us how many times she had to ask Jesus into her heart before we would let her be baptized. This question is so Sophie and we knew right away that something was brewing deep in her soul. Our church's kids' service, offers the plan of salvation and an opportunity to pray every week, and while she hadn't told us about her decision quite yet, it was obvious it ...
faith
Holiday Gift Guide | Modern Christian Woman
This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Mercy Road Apparel. All opinions and text are mine alone. Affiliate links appear in this post. Any purchases made using these links will earn Taz + Belly a small commission. You can read more about our affiliate relationships here. I had such a great time putting together gift guides for last year's holiday season, but this year, I wanted to focus on a few areas that I've noticed are missing in the gift guide blogosphere. When looking for faith based gifts for your friends, small group leaders, or other women in your life, it can often be really challenging to find something that is both beautiful and meaningful. That's why I've done some internet sleuthing on your behalf. Here are fifteen great ideas -- plus a few bonus finds! -- and ...
Journaling the Psalms | Part 1
It's been a long time since I shared any pages from my Bible here and, really, even longer since I spent a significant amount of time meditating on those pages. My relationship with the Bible has always ebbed and flowed -- not my relationship with the words themselves, just how intentional I have been about making time to spend with it. Bible Journaling offered a new way of devoting that time and it helped to focus my racing mind and really pay attention to what the word were saying. I think I expected journaling to bring with it a consistency that I was lacking and while it did serve to rekindle that passion in my life, I think I will always struggle with routine and focus. I have missed spending extended moments in the Word over the summer, though, and I'm eager to back to a place where ...
THINK | My 2017 One Little Word
It took exactly fifteen days for me to settle on a word for this year. It's funny to look back now, at how hard and how frequently I thought about it. I was discouraged that I didn't have a clear picture for the year -- I wanted a word to meditate on and a target on which to mark my progress this year. I started editing a Bible Journaling post to share this week and it was all about timing. It spoke to wanting to say something specific and having God completely change the conversation. I walked away from it over the weekend and then walked right into my word of the year. Think. Affiliate links appear in the following post. Although shopping the embedded links won’t cost you any additional dollars, it might earn me a small commission on sales. Your support of this blog is much ...
God IS Love
This post was originally published for Stones & Sparrows on May 16, 2016. When you think about 1 Corinthians 13, what is the first thing that pops into your mind? I remember sitting in marriage counseling before our wedding (a mere fourteen years ago?!) and our pastor had us compile some things we wanted him to use in the service. Among a few other favorite Bible passages were these verses about love. Even now, when I read them, I think back to wedding dress shopping and meetings with the florist and long conversations about what marriage might look like. I don't know how many times I've heard these verses read in the context of a wedding, but I promise you it's too many to count. When I read through 1 Corinthians 13, I always think about those characteristics in relation to humans ...
Stones & Sparrows | Gather Your Stones
Back in the spring, a group of my favorite internet ladies decided to join forces for a newsletter. The idea was to share more words than would fit in an Instagram caption and to foster community among other journalers who were struggling to find their voice. We've taken turns over the last six months, collectively sharing a weekly entry with our readers. It's been hard and wonderful and thought provoking and I have stretched my faith and grown so much during our time together. You know how when you first meet a new friend and you try your best to squeeze in time with her as often as you can? How you rearrange your schedule and avoid obligations and cancel your least favorite activities, just to have more time with her? That's kind of what Stones & Sparrows felt like from the ...
Bible Journaling Update
I know that many of you (probably more like most of you) are following along on Instagram, but just in case you aren't, I thought I'd pop in and talk about my Bible for a minute. It's been a while since I shared any pages or processes with you, so I thought you might like an update on how things are going on that front. 2015 was a huge year of personal growth for me and an even bigger year spiritually. Through the Illustrated Faith movement, I found a way to connect with scripture that I had never even considered. I've talked at length about how adding color to these pages changed my life, but I wish I could put my hands on your shoulders and look deep into your eyes when I say it because some of you are hesitating to jump right in and I'm betting that if you just let go of that fear and ...
Navigating Inspiration
One of the things I've been blessed by the most in this faith art community is the encouragement, inspiration, and beautiful friendships that I've found because of a few images shared on the internet. This community was so much smaller when I stumbled across Bible Journaling last year and as it continues to grow, so many other things follow suit. Yes, there are more friends and more worship and because of that, there is more inspiration. There is also more criticism, plagiarism, and unnecessary vitriol. I don't know what it is about joining women together in a common place that encourages hateful words, but where two or more are gathered... Last night, I happened to read a conversation about whether it was okay to directly copy work that other people were sharing. Unfortunately, I was ...