Bloom!

- - Happy New Year, girls! We've got some fun things planned for Bloom! in 2011. But in the meantime, here's a trace of where we've been on the web this week - and some fun New Year's links for you to check out. - Tsh Oxenreider has a fun article up on (in)courage with 20 questions for a New Year's Eve reflection. It's worth reading! - Lisa Whittle tackles the guilt of New Year's Resolutions over at She Seeks : "We can’t lose all the weight we want to, in one day. Neither can we solve all of our longtime financial problems or suddenly make the whole world become more peaceful. But what we can do is manage the things right in front of us, responsibly — taking a step towards contentment by accomplishing our small, reachable goals." - And finally, Ali Edwards writes about One Little Word 2011 - picking one word to define and shape your upcoming year. Megan and Joanna have done this the last few years, and loved it. (And they're both still tryi...

Continuing our weekly conversations ... The deal: Each Thursday, we announce a question of the week. We seek to ask questions that spark interesting conversations, whether it simply be about books, traditions, spiritual disciplines, more theological matters, or anything related to life in general. You can join in our conversations two ways: 1. Leave a comment with your thoughts! 2. Or, if you prefer, post an answer on your own blog and leave us a link to your post so we can comment and add to the conversation. If you post on your own blog, you are welcome to use the picture above as long as you link back to us somewhere in your post. This week's question... As the new year approaches, what changes or additions has the Lord placed on your heart to do in 2011?

- It's been a while since we shared what we've been reading - college and traveling to Panama haven't given us much time! But today we thought we'd tell you what's been on our bookshelves - and we'd love to hear what is on yours! - Megan:   1 Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L'Engle - 2 Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies by Marilyn McEntyre - 3 Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball - 4 Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives by Wayne Mullter   5 Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton - Joanna: - 1 Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe - 2 Warrior Princess by Princess Kasune Zulu - 3 Wrestling Prayer by Eric and Leslie Ludy - 4 A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - 5 Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss - Jessina: - 1 Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life by Kathleen Norris - 2 Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila - 3 Watch for the Light: Readings for Adve...

- "It is here, in the thing that happened at the first Christmas, that the profoundest and most unfathomable depths of the Christian revelation lie. 'The Word became flesh' (Jn. 1:14); God became man; the divine Son became a Jew; the Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, unable to do more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. And there was no illusion or deception in this: the babyhood of the Son of God was a reality. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the Incarnation….The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity--hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory--because at the Father's will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard, ...

This morning a man at the mall stopped in his tracks and stared at me in astonishment when I told him that I don’t have a boyfriend. I told him I was waiting on God’s perfect timing in bringing the right man into my life. “Honey, there ain ’t no perfect guy out there. And you’re gonna have to wait a long time for any guy if you don’t got a boyfriend now.” “I know that there’s no perfect man out there, but there is a perfect God. And He has perfect plans for me. I’ll trust Him.” “You shouldn ’t wait on Him. You need to get out there and find yourself a guy. Otherwise you’ll be waiting a long, long time.” He pronounced those last three words ominously, like a bad nightmare or a lifelong prison sentence. “No, I don’t need to get out there and find some guy. God will do that for me.” I simply said. The man just shook his head and went away mumbling about how naive I was and how I had to find a guy real soon, because one couldn ’t rely on God. I stared into nothingness as the ma...

A trace of where we've been on the web this week... With Christmas just around the corner, it can be easy to let yourself be swept away in the shopping, parties, and all the material things involved. But as believers, we need to remember to focus on what Christmas is really all about. Sure, gifts are great, but this holiday is all about the Best Gift Ever, Jesus. When Jesus is your reason for Christmas, it's all about Him. And World Vision's Christmas catalog allows you to truly share Him with others by giving Bibles, loving care for an orphan, a well for a village, and much more. So head on over and find a present that shares Jesus in a practical and life-changing way! The other day, two different friends sent me this video . I'm the not kind of person who watches every single video sent her way, but this one was definitely worth the few minutes. Shoppers in one Canadian mall got a a special Christmas shock while eating lunch...enjoy! Joyful in Him, Joanna, Megan, ...

- - A friend of mine keeps this quote, from his professor at Hillsdale College , on his facebook page: “We often fail to see how much of life is taken up by mundane things. The great challenge, then, is to live the mundane life well.” -- Dr. Gamble At first glance, Dr. Gamble’s quote has nothing to do with Christmas. To me, however, it has much to do with Christmas. Let me explain. - As a college student, I mourn the fact that Advent is shortened to approximately one week. I arrived home only two days ago; Christmas comes in less than four days now. Though I did have a small Christmas tree at school, Christmas seemed very far away – I was too busy worrying about finals and getting enough sleep to bother about buying presents or wrapping presents or baking cookies. I managed only to read a small part of the beginning of Luke and John some nights before I collapsed into bed. - Many times, I think it cannot be Christmas unless I leisurely spend time wrapping and listening to Na...

A trace of where we've been on the web this week... Kelli Overturf writes, "When you're faced with days where you have no strength of your own, when God brings opportunities your way that you feel incapable of doing, when you're faced with giants, brick walls, and impossibilities...that's where God's power really breaks through!" Check out Kelli's blog for the rest of this refreshing post. Noelle, one of our readers, has been working on a project called "Thanks Given" Although the project was originally until Thanksgiving, Noelle has extended the deadline . As believers we should be giving thanks all year long, so I thought that this is a great opportunity to do just that. So head over to Noelle's blog, Seeing Beauty , and join in the thankfulness conversation! May your weekend be filled with the peace and joy of Jesus! Joanna, Jessina, and Megan

Continuing our weekly conversations ... The deal: Each Thursday, we announce a question of the week. We seek to ask questions that spark interesting conversations, whether it simply be about books, traditions, spiritual disciplines, more theological matters, or anything related to life in general. You can join in our conversations two ways: 1. Leave a comment with your thoughts! 2. Or, if you prefer, post an answer on your own blog and leave us a link to your post so we can comment and add to the conversation. If you post on your own blog, you are welcome to use the picture above as long as you link back to us somewhere in your post. This week's question... What are some of your family's favorite Christmas traditions?

She was an orphan girl raised in Cuba. As a young adult, she used substances that abused and racked her body and her health. She lived with the scars from it. She had children out-of-wedlock. And lived with those scars as well. She was a mother whose teenage son ran away, whose daughter turned her back on her. She was a person who desperately needed a reason to live, who needed a hope in her heart. She was a person whom my dear father led to the Lord years ago. And she was a person whose life was completely and utterly changed. She was the person you’d call if your car broke down on the side of the road. She was the person to tutor you in Spanish – for free, driving almost an hour one way. She was the person who lifted your spirits without you even realizing she was doing it. She was the person who prayed as she breathed and loved as if her life depended on it. She was the wife of a godly man. She was the person who went to China with a sister-in-law who was adopting an orphan a...

- A trace of where we've been on the web this week... - Sara writes a beautiful article on comparison, belief, and faith: "It's not about always being in the happy place, as much as I try to live there. It's about believing even when the happy place isn't ours to have. It's about those times when we can't see or feel the promise, but we believe in the promise anyway." Go read the rest of her blog , too - you will be refreshed and inspired. - - And finally, author Ann Voskamp has is offering a little gift this Christmas season - an Advent devotional that is yours to download, for free! Click here to go to her website and blog (it's on her sidebar). - grace & peace, Jessina, Joanna & Megan -

Continuing our weekly conversations . . . The deal: Each Thursday, we announce a question of the week. We seek to ask questions that spark interesting conversations, whether it simply be about books, traditions, spiritual disciplines, more theological matters, or anything related to life in general. You can join in our conversations two ways: 1. Leave a comment with your thoughts! 2. Or, if you prefer, post an answer on your own blog and leave us a link to your post so we can comment and add to the conversation. If you post on your own blog, you are welcome to use the picture above as long as you link back to us somewhere in your post. This week's question... What one person has the Lord used in a special way to encourage you in your walk with Him? How?

It's December first! And for some of us, it's even snowing. So we thought we should celebrate by sharing a few of our favorite Christmas albums: - MercyMe: The Christmas Sessions Sufjan Stevens: Songs for Christmas Sara Groves: O Holy Night Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration James Taylor: At Christmas - These are some of our favorites. What do you love listening to? -