by Elaine Olsen | Mar 31, 2014 | desert dwelling, Easter, family fun, pilgrimage
The Gospels make it clear—you can’t make the ‘Lenten Journey’ without the desert and wilderness. That forty-day trek is rough terrain. All that stuff about wild beasts, temptations, and hunger, we’d rather not talk about it. And the cruelty of it; “Lord, can we...
by Elaine Olsen | Apr 11, 2013 | courage, desert dwelling, evil, faith, living God's truth, ministry life, packing up, right words; right timing, strength, trust
A couple of nights ago, I called my older boys and offered them this caution: “Be on guard, sons. Apparently our family is now Satan’s new, favorite chew-toy.” The next morning, my mother called with a similar warning: “Elaine, I’ve been standing here in front of the...
by Elaine Olsen | Apr 4, 2012 | dad, desert dwelling, Easter, grace, Olive Press, pilgrimage
This is one of my favorite stories of grace. It’s a good one to walk us home to Easter. I’ve grown up hearing it, time and again, and it never fails to stir my heart in the deepest way. Thank you, dad, for sharing it with us, and thanks to my Grandpa Al...
by Elaine Olsen | Mar 7, 2012 | desert dwelling, Easter, Olive Press, pilgrimage
Once again, my father is making an appearance today to share with us a few thoughts from his Lenten journey. In doing so, he asks us to consider our own pilgrimages to the cross this year. I pray you are blessed by his words, even more so challenged by them: to walk...
by Elaine Olsen | Feb 29, 2012 | dad, desert dwelling, Easter, Olive Press, pilgrimage
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.” –Luke 4:1-2 The Lenten journey begins in the desert. It is the undiscovered country that invites us...
by Elaine Olsen | Jul 18, 2009 | desert dwelling, faith, grace, living God's truth, trust
“See to it that no one misses the grace of God…” (Hebrews 12:15). This morning, Spurgeon has me thinking about the Israelites’ tribal progression through the wilderness and how this relates to my own progression through mine. I’m pretty sure I have some...
