by Emily Wierenga | Jul 11, 2012 | anniversary, bible school, children, God, hope, husband, love, marriage, renew, submission, vows
you’ve always saved me, in your own quiet Christ-like way.”i don’t ever want our house to be without children,” i tell you. “even when we’re old, so long as we have beds, we have children,” and you nod and you smile.but just... by Emily Wierenga | Jul 7, 2012 | anne lamott, books, children, help, how-to, laundry, liturgy, perfectionism, summer, swimming, tips, word count, writing
i pin the colored fabric as though savoring a mango, this slice of time so sweet, and the sounds of children splashing in the pool. and all i want is to rest. to open wide this moment and step into it, to sit on a beach chair and hold my babies and breathe in their... by Emily Wierenga | Jul 5, 2012 | abingdon press, children, death, heaven, just write, letting go, love, mother, motherhood, sacrifice, the gypsy mama
well, there are many reasons.reasons like rising when you feel like falling, reasons like producing milk when you want to produce tears and being called to represent every feminine attribute of God for men, girls and boys, and not knowing night from day from hour... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 29, 2012 | Uncategorized
it’s really quite simple, and it comes to me as we walk through long grass,the boys ahead. my mother-in-law, beside me, and every once in awhile she stops and hugs me, like i’ve just returned from overseas. i only live a few blocks away but it’s been... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 25, 2012 | a deeper story, children, crucifixion, death, Easter, God, hungry, hurting, Jesus, repentance, world
when i was a little girl in big plastic glasses and corduroy dresses, i would scrunch my eyes shut and imagine the crucifixion and try to feel the sadness i knew i was supposed to feel. i’d try to feel repentant but it was so much easier not to, because Jesus... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 22, 2012 | abandonment, angry, children, emotions, father, God, son
i’m trying not to listen but joey’s talking to his dad on the phone.and it’s been a week of anger. “my heart is bleeding,” he tells me one night. and the next morning, after he makes another boy cry i pull the door closed and pull him... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 20, 2012 | abide, beauty, doing, God, idleness, imperfect prose on thursdays, joy, laughter, proverbs 31, sewing, suzannah paul, tea, the smitten word, woman
(post and photo by suzannah paul)When she said, “Where better to look than Proverbs 31?”my heart sunk hard and I lifted tea to lips in lame disguise.I am Suzannah’s complete lack of enthusiasmIn this sorority, we’re tested veterans,survivors of... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 15, 2012 | chasing silhouettes, daughter, eating disorder, ernest dow, family, father's day, parenting
Neil C. Strait said, “The best gift a father can give to his son is the gift of himself – his time. For material things mean little, if there is not someone to share them with.”In my own life, I learned this too late. This fall our eldest daughter, Emily Wierenga, is... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 13, 2012 | book, christian hosoi, drugs, forgiveness, giveaway, God, hosoi, inmate, junkie, pastor, skateboarding, testimony, tony hawk
i first wrote about christian hosoi when i was newly married.i was associate editor of a small newspaper, living with trent in a tiny bunaglow in the city with an apple tree in the backyard and a loft in which i painted and i was deep in the relapse of anorexia. at... by Emily Wierenga | Jun 6, 2012 | box, Brandee Shafer, Eustace Conway, God, imperfect prose on thursdays, mailbox, normal, perfect, problems, value
(post by brandee shafer)Sometimes I feel a little like a mailbox: chock-full, and mostly with junk. I feel crammed with sales pitches, useless information, fluff. I feel depressed by the news. And I wonder: if it’s true that what goes in must come out, is anyone...