Mundane Faithfulness

Allie de Graaf

When I Make My Bed in the Depths

When I Make My Bed in the Depths

Guest post by Allie de Graaf

Where are you today? Are you shopping for Christmas? In a cubicle counting down the hours? Caring for your little loves at home? Tending to a sick loved one in the hospital? And in the midst of that, where is your heart?

While I think we would all love for our hearts to be quietly enjoying Advent, preparing for the celebration of Christ’s coming, many of us may be in a place of anxiety with all that the holidays mean. Perhaps we feel that life is more than we can handle and that preparing for a busy Christmas season is simply too much.

The Promise

The Promise

Guest post by Allie de Graaf

God’s promises are good, but sometimes I don’t like them.

I know the promise, that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. This is a great and precious promise. Jesus—Immanuel, God with Us—is the greatest Gift, the embodiment of that promise. His advent is good news of great joy.

Community Series Q&A: Going deeper with friends

Community Series Q&A: Going deeper with friends

Question: I’m wondering how to take friendship to a deeper level—from casual friendship to deep friendship.
Answered by Allie de Graaf

I like things to be deep—colors, flavors, songs, thoughts, emotions, friendships, you name it—I  want it deep. I think sometimes the depth of me has scared away some potential friends, but it has also allowed for some incredibly special relationships.

Community Series Q&A: Unsolicited Advice

Community Series Q&A: Unsolicited Advice

What does it look like to be there for others without offering unsolicited advice?
Answered by Allie de Graaf

This topic is very close to my heart, since my own story has involved crushing circumstances. More than once, I have received grace from people at times but have also been hurt when I have shared. I remember being told during an acutely agonizing season that You have the Lord! In other words, knowing Christ means that I have no reason or excuse to struggle or bleed or break: everything in my life should be tidy and in order, regardless of the pain my soul might know.

Community Series Q&A: I grew up in a family that isolated us from others. How do I step out of this and learn to build community as an adult?

Community Series Q&A: I grew up in a family that isolated us from others. How do I step out of this and learn to build community as an adult?

Question: I grew up in a family that isolated us from others. How do I step out of this and learn to build community as an adult? How do I engage and pursue others? How do I get past my tendency to isolate?
Answered by Allie de Graaf

Community is a miracle. Getting to experience Gospel-saturated relationships of knowing and being known, of loving and being loved, of sharing the ugly inside each of us and yet still being accepted and valued, that truly is a miracle. When I consider the culture I grew up in, my present community becomes even more of a miracle.