"Thank an artist today," someone said on Instagram last week, and I happened to be walking through the booths at the entrance to Silver Dollar City--- little closets of handmade brooms and paintings and pottery and baskets and woven rugs. The makers of each were dressed in their aprons and smocks, watching us and waiting. … Continue reading Thank the Artist
Our porch lights were on when we pulled up the drive at 1 A.M. last Tuesday morning – Joel, Trent, Janaya, and I. A strong, warm wind was in the trees, and a patch of stars blinked between clouds. (Maybe it's the way music works in me, but things always seem more vivid and alive … Continue reading Souls
For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (2 Cor. 6:16). As my church crawled out of quarantine, blinking in the May daylight, I had a run-in with … Continue reading Part Two: Belonging to a Person & People
July 12 “God intends for the whole world to be able to praise him. He intends for Zion to set an example of faithfulness for the rest of the world. Zion cannot do this when evil persons corrupt others.”[i] Bleating sheep and bellowing salesmen swarmed the temple. But really? God's house was empty. In the … Continue reading Jesus’ Anger Gathers and Glorifies
This article was written for and published on TheRebelution blog. My friendship with Sara Barratt is 100% virtual. We’ve never talked over coffee or met up at a conference or worshiped together in church. I met Sara in the Young Writer’s Workshop—a place where everyone shares a thrill for stories, words, articles, novels, and poems. … Continue reading The Girl Who Started a Love Riot for Jesus
February 2 Do you remember my Sunday Afternoon Snippet at January’s start— The "Why" Behind Our Resolutions? One of my resolutions for 2020 is to build an online platform from which my writing can be shared and spread. But why? That’s a question I’ve been grilling myself with. Because I joined Instagram this week. In … Continue reading I’m on Instagram! Here’s Why
December 8 I’m a no-Christmas-music-before-Thanksgiving stickler. But this year, I broke my own rule in October because Andrew Peterson released his first recorded album of Behold the Lamb of God. Behold the Lamb is a collaborative Christmas production that’s been in the works for twenty years. Every December, Christian artists join at the Ryman Auditorium … Continue reading Behold the Lamb of God
They say the songs of your childhood never really let you go— that music has a seizing, shaping power. It must be true because my Southern Baptist pastor dad still thumps the steering wheel to Journey and James Taylor. Now I’m crossing that threshold between childhood and life beyond. I’m eighteen and watching just how … Continue reading In the Morning, When I Rise
A friend and I were talking the other day about Colorado. The conversation made me giddy because mountains might be my happiest place. I love hikes on trails that wind up toward far-flung views, so our trip to Westcliffe last summer was the stuff of dreams. I remember waking at six one morning, pouring coffee … Continue reading See the World–And Its Creator–Right Where You Are
This month marks two years since I launched Bethany J’s Journal and became a blogger. Since October 2017, I’ve made pages of mistakes. I’ve fought discouragement. I’ve tried to craft better sentences. I’ve been enraptured by who God is and how he chooses to use me. And this month, I’ve realized it’s time for a … Continue reading Why I’m Rethinking My Blog Schedule
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