by Emily Wierenga | Jul 3, 2013 | #imperfectprose, chocolate, faith, Jesus, lessons, motherhood, patience, preschooler, wine
she has contributed out of her lackand her want,putting in all that she had on which to live.(Luke 21: 4)I’m on my second glass of red for the night, and I’m eating chocolate. The kids are all medicated and in bed and Trent is fixed up with a honey and... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 28, 2013 | giveaway, Haiti, holley gerth, Jennifer Dukes Lee, mexico, necklace, recycled waste, summer, ViBella Jewelry
Adeline is a single mother who lives in Haiti in this house with her son. Every weekday, Adeline rides a tap-tap to work at the One Vision Vi Bella site. These are her words, translated from Creole, but unedited:“Vi Bella represents my husband, and a... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 26, 2013 | #imperfectprose, child, faith, healing, Jesus, miracle, prodigal magazine, savior, walk, wheelchair
Sometimes I wonder if Jesus is who he says he is because I read about the miracles in the New Testament, I read about him healing and the woman touching his robe and his power is so very evident.And then I lose a child whom God could have easily saved and I... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 24, 2013 | church, death, faith, humanness, loss, mourning, open letter, pain, pastor, pastor's daughter, sorrow
Dear Pastors,I am your daughter.I am the daughter of a reverend and I know what the inside of a church looks like. I know the hardness of the pew and the length of a Sunday morning and the visits: so many visits to so many strangers when all you want is for your daddy... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 21, 2013 | children, comfort, faith, God's kingdom, grief, heaven, Jesus, joy, loss, miscarriage, motherhood, mourning, parenting
My tender-hearted son, Aiden, and I made a collage of people that Aiden loves: Jesus, holding the baby; hi and Kasher; him and his cousin Logan, him and Grandpa, and him and Joey. The collage hangs by his bed reminding him he is surrounded by love.Kasher’s... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 19, 2013 | anger, devotion, fear, hurt, imperfect prose on thursdays, listening, loyalty, marriage, silence, submission
(by Brandee Shafer; paintings by Connie Kottman)When our marriage counselor Adam recommended a process of communication called reflective listening, I was raring to go. Confident, too, because–if I had a Native American name–it would be The Communicator. I... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 14, 2013 | 99 Balloons, A Story Unfinished, book giveaway, death, faith, father, life, losing, Matt Mooney, son
I met Matt Mooney a few months ago through a mutual friend, Amber Haines, and realized soon after that I’d met a brother. Matt is one of the most honest, genuine and caring people I know and it’s my true honor to introduce him to you today, and to tell you... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 12, 2013 | affirmation, baby, birth, children, faith, junkie, love, pregnancy, prodigal magazine
My nephew, Lucas, was born with two holes in his heart.He didn’t get to feel his mother’s arms holding him until two weeks after he was born, because he had open heart surgery and was hooked up to tubes that were saving his life.She held him for the... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 11, 2013 | daughter, death, faith, father's day, God, heaven, loss, murder, Sharlene Bosma, suffering, Tim Bosma
(Friends, Thank you so much for your loving prayers, emails, messages, letters and phone calls concerning our miscarriage. We are just trying to survive right now, leaning into each other and into Jesus, taking one day at a time. We are desperately sad. I will write... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 10, 2013 | Uncategorized
I am honored to welcome author, blogger and Relevant Magazine contributor Rachel Marie Stone to my place, to celebrate the launch of her new book, The Joy Of Eating, and to give away a couple of copies! Here’s Rachel. My husband and I sat across from one...