By Beth Demme I was standing at the stove the other night boiling water for spaghetti. As I stood there mindlessly watching the pot of water, my mother’s sweet voice rang through my mind, “a watched pot never boils.” It’s an old expression about the passage of time and how everything seems to take longer when we’re waiting, but lately …
How to Find Beauty in the Unexpected
Living Expectantly Part 4: How To Find Beauty In the Unexpected By Beth Demme This month on the blog we’ve looked at what happens when life isn’t quite what we expected. How can we live loved when we don’t live up to our own expectations or life is harder than it should be? Does God think I’m a failure? Is …
Is It Okay To Complain?
Living Expectantly, Part 3: Is It Okay To Complain? By Beth Demme How many choices do you think you’ve made so far today? Maybe it’s early enough that it’s been simple: Coffee? Yes! Decaf? No! Maybe your day has been longer or harder and you’ve already conquered a full buffet of choices. Unless you’re a hermit, you’ve probably made decisions …
Does God Think I’m a Failure?
Living Expectantly, Part 2: Does God Think I’m a Failure? By Beth Demme Last week we started looking at what it means to live expectantly, instead of living with expectations. Do you think God has expectations for you? Have you ever wondered if God thinks you’re a failure? As I shared before, I once ordered a bar stool, but I didn’t …
What Happens When Life Isn’t What I Expected?
By Beth Demme Have you ever received something you really wanted, only to discover it wasn’t at all what you expected? I do a lot of online shopping (probably too much). Every once in awhile, I get something that isn’t what I expected. One time I ordered a bar stool, but I didn’t check the dimensions well enough. When it …
What To Do When A Stranger Calls You A Bad Mom
By Beth Demme I think we all have a soundtrack, or maybe a movie reel, that plays in the background of our thoughts. Sometimes mine goes negative and gets loud. I should be in control of my own soundtrack, but when a stranger went out of her way to call me a bad mom, I realized how easily my soundtrack could …
Stop Believing The Lies
By Beth Demme For the last couple of years, I’ve worked with middle-school girls in the youth group at our church. The girls are at the beginning of the journey to figure out who they are and who they want to be. I love watching this journey, despite the jerky starts and stops. Last year one of the girls asked …
The Problem With Father’s Day
By Beth Demme As we approach Father’s Day this year I’m in the midst of an emotional quandary, pulled between grief and celebration. It’s already been 16 months since my father passed away, but it seems like we were chatting and laughing together yesterday. His absence from my life is palpable and bottomless. In these months, nearly a dozen of …
Why I Need to Pause Today
When I teach Bible 100, I spend a lot of time on Genesis. I spend a disproportionate amount of time on this one book because it sets the foundation for the 65 books that follow. Genesis can be controversial. It raises questions about literalism, science, history, timelines, miracles, and more. I think I’ve allowed those bits to overshadow an important foundational principle …
God Is Big Enough For Our Disagreements
I tried. Honestly, I tried. I joined a Facebook group based on a version of Christian theology I knew I didn’t entirely agree with. I hoped to learn something by observing the conversation. Disagreement doesn’t scare me; I’m comfortable admitting there is a lot I don’t know. Plus, I try not to insulate myself with only like-minded people. I want …