Life
Diet Culture, Our Bodies, and the Apostle Paul
“What are your food rules?” she asked me. “What do you mean, food rules?” “You know, the foods you let yourself eat, the types of meals you allow in your diet, and the types you don’t, when you eat, where you eat…” “Oh, gotcha,” I said. “Hm, I don’t know. I don’t have too many.”…
Read MoreTethered
A few years ago, I read a profile of Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz in GQ Magazine. The writer was Jewish but unsure of her faith at the time and her perspective of him and his megachurch was fascinating. She described a conversation she had with Lentz about belief in God and how she suddenly had…
Read MoreTo Settle
The other night at dinner while I was telling someone I had just met what I do for a living, I received a response I’ve grown quite accustomed to: “Oh, you freelance? Then you could live anywhere! Have you ever thought about traveling and working remote? That’s what I would do.” “Yeah,” I told this…
Read MoreRead. Pray. Stretch. Breathe. Cook.
About five years ago, my therapist at the time took me outside during one of our sessions and instructed me to sit down on a step and close my eyes. “What do you hear?” she asked. “Um, cars on the road?” I said. “What else?” I listened. “Birds.” “What else?” “The wind.” This went on…
Read MoreMy Top 5 Books of 2018
For a writer, I’ve never felt like I read enough. I always have a book going, but I’m not what people call a “voracious reader.” Without being intentional, I average a book a month, sometimes two. So this year for the first time ever, I set a reading goal: two books a month, 24 books…
Read MoreA New Normal
I recently returned from a trip to Mexico City. I went by myself. This is something I never thought I would do. Travel alone. But after talking with a friend who travels alone regularly and loves it, I decided to give it a shot. It was a good trip, but it was strange. I am…
Read MoreTwo Years of a Capsule Wardrobe: Why I Do It, What I’ve Learned
On February 1, 2016, I turned in the first draft of English Lessons to my publisher. A couple of days later, I found myself frantically cleaning out my closet. I mean, cleaning it out. Everything. I had been reading about the concept of a capsule wardrobe—the idea of applying the principles of minimalism to your…
Read MoreI Am Not Good at Being Me, Except When I Write
I am not very good at being myself. But I am very good at being who people want me to be. I can walk into a room, read the situation and take on a persona. (I would probably be a great spy.) A room of academics? I’ll try and act smart. A room of Christians?…
Read MoreBetween Home
I just returned from my first visit back to Nashville since I moved to Austin in January. I haven’t really written about this move since then. I got here and immediately I finished up edits on the book, got the launch team going, went to Israel for a couple of weeks, came back, geared up…
Read MoreWhy I Get Off Social Media on the Weekends
Every Friday at 5 p.m. I get off social media. I delete my apps from my phone and try my hardest to resist logging in on my laptop for the rest of the night and all day Saturday and Sunday. Then on Monday morning, around 8, I get back on. I reload the apps on…
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