That day, a bouquet of July ditch flowers was my teacher. I needed to re-learn something I had re-forgotten: God uses ordinary things to show us His extraordinary kindness.

Teachers are amazing, imperfect, profoundly important people — who need our prayers. "Bless this school year and bless each person who wears the beautiful and noble badge of Teacher. Amen."

"November is the perfect in-between month. A time to prepare and putter in the kitchen. A time to gather in and come together. A time of expectation of what’s yet to come and thankfulness for what has been. Jesus didn’t arrive with a “Do Not Open Before 12/25” tag. He came for us all, all the time. In the grey days of November. In the summer heat of August. In the slushiness of March and the blossoms of May. When we’re looking for Him and when we’re running from Him. When our hearts are soft and open, and when they’re hard and closed. In all seasons of the year and of our lives, Jesus comes for us. He welcomes us wholly at any time, in any space, in all of our seasons."

I see the year ahead as another twelve months of ripening. I choose to embrace who I’ve been and to show myself – and all my past selves – the grace I now so generously extend to others. From that place of love, I can approach whatever this year holds for me with openness and gentleness, with no hurry or rush.

What if Lent was less about fasting and more about feasting on the presence of God? Let's take a different approach to Lent, and accept God’s invitation to focus on rejoicing. Let's fast from distractions and join at the table to feast with our Savior, the Bread of Life. Let’s lift our eyes from loneliness and lack, and look to the horizon, the resurrection to come.

The kingdom of God is like the seed that grows, regardless of our understanding or attention. Its growth is guaranteed, its longevity, eternal. In other words, when it comes to spiritual botany, God is always at work even when we are not. He’s a Gardener of green things, living things. What He plants grows. What He nurtures thrives. What He loves blossoms. So while I may never master my green thumb, I love a Master Gardener. He is tending His seeds even now, doing work I can’t see and performing life-giving miracles I’ll never comprehend. His kingdom is one that will never end. And that means I can rest, because tomorrow will be filled with the color of new life.

Fireflies flicker, friends gather, watermelon seeds spit, and children packed like sardines on the blanket waiting in anticipation of the first explosion of fireworks. Whether you celebrate July 4th or not, embrace the opportunity to take conversations to the next level, engaging family and friends in discussion of what true courage really means. It doesn’t have to be organized, forced, or stressful, just a time of intentional sharing about the deeper meaning behind the celebrations, and why we have the traditions that we do.

Maybe you are facing the same death or facing the wilderness of waiting for an answer. Maybe right now nothing makes sense and you’re questioning who you are or how you fit. Behind the veil of silent seasons, loss, drudgery, and dreams come undone, know that you are deeply loved and delighted in. God is at work. He is building new things in you and for you and these days of wrestling, each one placed one after another like cobblestone, will serve to build a beautiful path forward. There are new things to come.

I don’t have the spiritual gift of cooking or hosting or decorating the table. But I can let go of my need to control the environment, people, and their experiences. I can trust that if I open my doors in love, that love will, in fact, meet them — that Thanksgiving will be different. Maybe not for the company, but for me. I don’t have to be perfect. I don’t have to be okay. I can just show up in love, release control, and trust that God is on a mission to love everyone who walks through my doors.