This is a preface.
I haven’t had time to sit down and write a blog post in months and months. Writing grad school papers and grading students’ papers and reading books and other word-related obligations have kept me from...
View ArticleWhat happens in Vegas: A Series.
The biggest, most earth-shattering thing that has happened to me so far in 2015, without a doubt, is a ministry trip I took during spring break to Las Vegas. I didn’t blog about it right away partly...
View ArticleWhat happens in Vegas… spreads love throughout a college campus.
[a continuation of the lessons I learned in Vegas. more about that trip can be found here.] Loving unconventionally is what Jesus is all about. His approach to love was strange but needed for the...
View ArticleWhat happens in Vegas… proves that God has won the battle.
We can’t lose the war against evil when God fights for us. Before I spent a week in Vegas, I might have told you that Vegas is probably one of the places where God is the least present. But Vegas is...
View ArticleWhat happens in Vegas… when a bulldog teaches us about God’s love.
I believe that the world around us operates on the currency of redemption: God redeemed us from our sin, and we imitate that exchange in daily life. And sometimes a lady and her bulldog show us a...
View ArticleSummer 2015: Reading List
Summer reading is different from the reading I do during the semester as an English grad student. There are no rules and no time restraints. And I love it. Here’s what I’m reading this summer....
View Article10 Embarrassing Questions I’ve Asked Myself While Simplifying
I’ve recently begun to really, really evaluate the stuff I have in my bedroom at my parents’ home in Utah. My mom has done an incredible job going through years of memories and collected items, and my...
View ArticleDIY: Greeting Card Booklet
This summer, I’ve been kickin’ tail on the many organizing and sorting projects that await me among all my childhood things. I’ve been reading about the practice of minimalism, but I don’t think that I...
View ArticleOn customer service.
I travel more than the average American. I fly two round trips a year from Utah to Virginia and back. I’ve spent two weeks of the past two summers living on a train with my family and seeing the...
View ArticleReflection from March 2, 2014
It’s been four months since we said goodbye. Quite honestly, going through the ending of a relationship was miserable. It was painful. But I trust that God had a purpose. What purpose? That...
View Article2015 in Review
In a few hours, I’m heading out the door to a New Year’s Eve dance. And a few hours after that, the year 2015 will come to an end. At this time of the year, it’s fun to look back on the resolutions...
View ArticleA recommendation letter for dating me
To whom it may concern: Should you choose to ask Carissa to go on a date with you, it is important that you are aware of some key benefits and hazards to dating her. She will listen intently to your...
View ArticleThesis Reflections: Stream of Consciousness
Social media is the highlight reel of a person’s life. -Dr. Matthew Towles Today, I defended my Master’s thesis. I have a few revisions to make, but the vast majority of the project is done. That...
View ArticleIn praise of seasons.
Transitory. That’s how I’d describe the past few years of my life. I’ve moved between many homes, traveled cross-country, worked new jobs, and met new people. This summer is the first in four years...
View ArticleOn Ecclesia: How Jesus Brought Me Back to Church
It took twenty years of weekly church attendance and sinking to rock bottom for me to figure out what the point of church is, and what the Bible really means when it talks about the body of Christ. But...
View Article3 Life Lessons I’ve Learned from Swing Dancing
When I started college, my dance experience was limited to Wii Just Dance, the Cha Cha Slide, and Zumba. So when my roommate and I decided to try swing dancing during our first week at Liberty...
View ArticleOn control and not having any.
I never would have labeled myself a “control freak.” I’ll change plans at the drop of a hat, let someone else plan and handle all the details while I ride along, happy to simply be. I’ve been known to...
View ArticleOn solo road trips.
I drove a total of 8 hours this weekend. I was alone, so no one was around to judge me. That changes now. Presenting: the many stages of a road trip with Carissa Faithfully listen to the audiobook that...
View Article2016 in Review
How do I summarize a year like 2016? It brought me to new cities like Baltimore and Charlotte, as well as familiar cities: Washington D.C. and San Diego, Manti and Salt Lake City, Roanoke and...
View ArticleOn speaking for justice.
In the midst of Trump’s executive order regarding refugees, and in the wake of the March for Life, I see many of my Christian friends speaking out against injustices this weekend to defend the...
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