Taking Jesus Seriously (& Not Much Else)
WriterCaroline.com - Taking Jesus seriously and not much else
For over a month, my phone has been wearing this Valentine's theme donut wallpaper that I doodled, and frankly, Ida is a little embarrassed about it. Ida, of course, is my iPhone. I've created some new Easter duds for her, and in case your sense of personification is also out of control, Ida and I have decided to share. Enjoy!
Read MoreThis week I am reminded once again that the world is overwhelmingly dark. That death hurts in the deepest parts. That the whole earth churns under the weight of It shouldn’t be like this! The sentence we’ve muttered a hundred times when brains and hearts can’t seem to process the loss of MC: “It’s too much.”
I’m told the body is made of 90 percent water, and I think it’s fair to say that Mary Cathryn’s insides were carbonated—fizzy and lively and friendly.
Read More“Easy like Sunday morning” are lyrics that can grate. Not because it’s hilariously difficult to get everyone ready and into the car on a Sunday (it is!) but because of something much deeper. Because church, for some, is a place of deep loneliness. Of profound wounds. Of rejection. Of distrust. Of having to stand next to offenders and hear their voices proclaim worship. Of realizing your own role as an offender and having to encounter those you’ve hurt.
Once, in a room full of people, we were asked the question, “Is it easy to love the Church?” Everyone around me nodded quickly and happily, saying, “ Yes! We love our church!” My jaw dropped.
This is not my experience. I am bloody from my attempts to love the Church.
Read MoreI remember.
I remember sitting in church on Mother’s Day. My husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for a while, it wasn’t happening, and I was devastated. No one really knew. I didn’t know how to talk about it without a lump in my throat, so I didn’t talk about it. My arms physically ached for a baby, and the pain was changing me.
Read MoreRegularly, I ignore my family in favor of doodling. My husband will ask me a question, and I'll say, "SHHH! I'm busy," and continue on in doodle heaven. Truly, writing and doodling are just about the only antidote for my obscenely high word count, and doodling, unlike writing, doesn't require my brain, which is struggling these days.
Anyway, in an attempt to make this doodle obsession productive, I created three free wallpapers that you can save and set up as a Valentine's Day themed background for your phone, if you so choose. Your support will further encourage me to stop talking to my husband so much, and for this, he is thankful.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Read More![My 9-year-old and I love to brainstorm illustrations like this! We thought it was funny to think about “bearing” with one another. (Rrrar.)
A little devotional thought to go with it:
“Bear [endure, forbear, suffer] with each anoth](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54f93825e4b0ab37e7014c6c/1750869637326-GCYSDSY1ZPJ8QO1R71KK/image-asset.jpeg)
For more information about how information collected on this site is used, read my privacy policy. Affiliate links are used where appropriate, and every effort has been made to disclose this. Copyright © 2021 Caroline Saunders. All Rights Reserved.
