BY SHARAYAH LE LEUX
We often find ourselves in a mentality where we are content in going through life bearing our trials on our own shoulders. Thoughts encompass our minds like, “she can’t help me with this,” “he’s got enough problems of his own,” or, “why would they even care?”
Read MoreSomething has been bothering me the past few days. At this point, we’ve all been made painfully aware of the terrorist attacks that happened Friday evening in Paris. We’ve seen Facebook offer a safety check-in for the French and a profile photo overlay with the colors of the French flag. Various monuments around the world were lit up with those same colors and numerous world leaders issued statements concerning the attack and showing their support.
Read MoreBY SYLVIA BOLANOS
You know those times when you come to a point where you believe you are a little wiser and a little older than you were before? Those times that make you feel like maybe your life is regaining a little bit of balance, and you can stop for a bit to admire the view? Those times where you think your efforts are just enough to cover all the different aspects of life, and you feel good with what you have accomplished?
I wish I could buy you coffee (probably a pumpkin spice latte, because I love you that much) and hear the depths of you. I want to hear about your triumphs and your defeats, your “happies” and your “crappies.” I want to know the things that are breathing life into your world this week and the corners of your heart that feel broken.
Read MoreHey! Hi! I’m so excited to be talking to you! We should do this more often! You’re one of my most favorite people. We need to hang out more often. Ah, friend!
Read MoreExtrovert, I like you. I love you. I want spend time with you.
Heck, I’ve wanted to be like you for most of my life. But sometimes (okay, a lot of the time), I am exhausted by being around you. Not because you did anything wrong or because there’s something wrong with you, it’s just the way I’m wired. I can have the most amazing day with you, but when it’s over, no matter how much fun it was, I just need to be by myself to recharge. It took me a while, but I’ve grown to realize that this is really okay.
Extrovert, I like you. I love you. I want spend time with you.
Heck, I’ve wanted to be like you for most of my life. But sometimes (okay, a lot of the time), I am exhausted by being around you. Not because you did anything wrong or because there’s something wrong with you, it’s just the way I’m wired. I can have the most amazing day with you, but when it’s over, no matter how much fun it was, I just need to be by myself to recharge. It took me a while, but I’ve grown to realize that this is really okay.
Read MoreI know you too well. When the morning greets, you stay in bed, and with each roll under the covers you attempt to remember your purpose for waking up. You reach for your phone, coffee, a shower, Netflix - anything except God’s daily letter to your soul. You think getting up will help, so you walk around the house, so empty, so purposeless. No one in that house can fill up that cup that your soul carries, and your thirst is deep.
Read MoreYou have never called yourself an artist. When people ask, you say things like, “No, I can’t draw to save my life.” But your definition of being an artist is so limited.
Until you realize that you are made in the image of God, the first and ultimate Creator, it will be hard to believe that you can create and that what you create has worth and purpose.
Read MoreHow often do you talk to your friends about your problems? Do you ask them for advice? Maybe you don’t actually ask, but you get advice anyways. I know I talk to my friends all the time. We’re all in a weird, difficult life stage and it’s comforting to externally process the things that we’re going through and to get feedback, input, and sometimes just a simple, “I know it sucks” or a, “me too, pal.”
Read MoreWoven wall hangings are extremely trendy right now and can add some quirky personality to your space. They are surprisingly easy to make, so before you go browsing on Etsy, give it a go with this simple DIY!
Read MoreI am writing to you because you are translucent. My friend, I see through you and I love the mess right out of you. Take a second and look at me. Set your guardrails aside, put away the inner pit bull that stands to defend the pieces and parts of you that you like to hide, turn off your security alarms and sit with me.
Read MoreI have seen you sitting alone during services. I have noticed the panic that overtakes your expression when the pastor kicks off the “greeting” portion of worship services. I’ve seen you stand on the outskirts of circles of chatting people before finally making a beeline out the door – and I am here to tell you that I understand.
Read MoreMy camera is a tool of ministry. But it took me a while to realize this.
I first picked up a camera when I was 12 years old and I fell in love with landscapes. Then, in my awkward teenage high school way, I found comfort and belonging by joining the yearbook as a photographer. That was how I learned not to hate taking pictures of people.
My relationship with my camera shaped my college plans. I was between two schools, and the one I chose to attend had a photojournalism concentration.
Read MoreShe sits in the coffee shop, not alone, the window is her friend. Her foot taps in the same cadence as her thumb that double taps the places she'd rather be. The hashtags tell her it's okay to be a wanderer. It's normal to want to be somewhere else. If you're not wanderlusting, you're not really a twenty-something.
Read MoreHow many blazers have you tried on? How many “big girl pants” have you not been able to button around your enormous insecurities? How many times have you sat across the table from your next career and felt completely incompetent, too young, and too inexperienced? You need experience to get experience, honey. But we’re directionless, fresh off the college high of potential-filled bliss as we raced toward that diploma. We’ve got a piece of paper in hand, but now they tell us to write our own routine. Suddenly, we’re lost.
Read MoreI go by Sam, never Samantha, and definitely never Sammy. I am 22 years old, a recent grad, and honestly, I'm struggling to navigate this after college, before “real” life, season that I’m in. But that’s ok, I’m growing and learning and I’m not alone in this space.
Read MoreWhat happens to you when you enter an open space for the first time? Imagine yourself there, in the middle of a big open room, a blank slate of sorts. What emotions do you feel? I know, you’re like, “Sheesh, give me context, Brooklyn.”
Read MoreAs an artist, it is my constant struggle to put Christ above my art. I have learned 3 big lessons along the way that have shaped who I am as a follower of Christ over who I thought I was as an artist.
Read MoreRoll-and-Scroll: (verb) the act of waking up, rolling over, and scrolling through social media. There are plenty of opinions out there as to whether the roll-and-scroll is a good thing, but regardless, we all still do it. We wake up and read Taylor Swift’s latest Tweet, see who Snapchatted from Disneyland last night, and fawn over various landscapes and coffee shops on Instagram. I can scroll and double-tap with the best of them, but I have to admit, I have often found these apps to be a catalyst of discontent in my life.
Read MoreIf you're like me, flowers will always brighten your day. These paper peonies will last as long as you want them to and bring color and personality to any space.
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