The Blog
of grace & gumption
Some say it was Ernest Hemingway who first wrote the famous six-word novel: For sale: baby shoes, never worn. Whether it was the famous American author or not, the allure to compact an entire story into just six words has sweeping appeal. It’s sparked contests, books,...
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to go to the same restaurant every evening for supper, even if I ordered something new every night. I wouldn’t want to go to the same resort every summer for vacation either. And I wouldn’t even want to look at the same...
The other day, my three-year-old son, Solomon, taught me how to cry on cue. He said, “Mom, if you want to cry, you have to do this.” He scrunched up his nose, squinted his eyes and lowered his eyebrows, then began making fake crying noises. Five seconds later, his...
I opened my calendar and noticed something interesting. In a week and a half, I had four “meetings” scheduled with different friends. One was a phone call resulting from a last-minute “Can you chat tomorrow?” text that I received from a friend in Dallas. Another was a...
![When a prodigal returns [a true story]](https://i0.wp.com/www.emilyeryan.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ecraft600x400.jpg?resize=400%2C250&ssl=1)
[Author's Note from Emily Ryan: I was thrilled to get to know Emily Craft when we traveled to Israel together for a mission trip. I was even more thrilled when she agreed to let me share her story. If you are currently praying for a "prodigal" - a wayward child,...
Do you pray about your sex life? I know this isn't a popular question. It may even make some of you uncomfortable. In all honesty, it makes me a little uncomfortable asking it. For some reason, we have no problem addressing related questions such as: Do you pray for...
We’re just a few days into January, and new year’s resolutions are already breaking all around us like campaign promises after election day. This year was going to be the year you drank more water, exercised more regularly, watched less TV, or gave up coffee and...
Sometimes there is an ugly side to women’s ministry that we’d rather not talk about. Many churches ignore it, pretend it doesn’t exist or shrug it off as inconsequential. But there are times when it is very real, very dark, and very much a problem. It’s the clique...
It was such an innocent question. My family and I were on Day 3 or so of our week-long, fun-filled Disney World vacation. The kids were in their element - fast rides for the older boys, princesses galore for our daughter, and classic Mickey for our youngest. And we...
Do you have a favorite event of the Holiday Season? I do! It's my church's Holiday Brunch & Tea, and it's so much fun, I look forward to it every year. This year, though, I'll not only be attending - I'LL BE SPEAKING!! And you're invited! This event is such a...
efore my recent service trip to Israel, the only other mission trip I’d been on was a simple trip to South Texas when I was in high school. Clearly, I am not a missionary expert. Nevertheless, I learned a lot from my first foreign mission trip,...
I don't know that I'll ever be able to effectively put into words the impact that my first trip to Israel had on my heart. The land. The history. The people. The experiences. All of which swirled together in my soul like a divine soup which I will sip from often from...