by Elaine Olsen | Jan 11, 2014 | Beyond Cancer's Scars (the story behind the story), cancer, cancer volume 4, obedience, peace, surrender, words
I remember the night I first penned those beginning words to Beyond Cancer’s Scars with the nudge of the Holy Spirit alongside: “Out of your poverty, Elaine, surrender your pen.” It was a hard obedience. At that point in my journey, I was exhausted, worn out and...
by Elaine Olsen | Jan 5, 2014 | grief, pain, parenting, prayer, suffering, sundays
Paint my boy a Sabbath sunrise, Father – one filled with the color of hope, not the cover of despair. Take the pain that’s been smeared onto his canvas at night and replace it with splashes of your morning grace. What she has taken from him, replace it with what you...
by Elaine Olsen | Jan 1, 2014 | anchor verse, fellowship with God, God's Word, knowing God, obedience, trust
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” –Isaiah 26:3, ESV Kept. This is who I want to be in 2014. This is how I want to live. Kept … in perfect peace—the Father’s pledge to me preceded by my obedience...
by Elaine Olsen | Dec 26, 2013 | Advent, christmas, creation, faith, fellowship with God, knowing God, pilgrimage, silence, worship
I’ve been waiting for this day for several weeks now. December 26th – the day after Christmas. No wrapping. No baking. No one needing me quite so much. More peace. More quiet. More time to take a walk beneath the beauty of a setting sun. This is where I found the...
by Elaine Olsen | Dec 14, 2013 | Advent, christmas, family fun, parenting, pilgrimage
She held on tightly, arms wrapped fully around my waist and her head burrowed deeply in my coat. “Mom, I don’t want you to go.” Her plea was persuasive but not enough to keep me from loading up the van and making the two hour trek northward to my parents’ home. “I...
