by Elaine Olsen | Dec 26, 2011 | christmas, God's voice, silence
My voice has been silenced in the last twenty-four hours. Literally. Sickness has claimed my vocal cords. This has never happened to me before, not completely in the way it has happened for me this time around. My whispered shouts for the attention of others are met...
by Elaine Olsen | Oct 5, 2011 | faith, God's voice, living God's truth, pilgrimage
Movement wins. So whispered the Holy Spirit to my heart while I was out walking a couple of days ago. His strong encouragement came to me as I struggled to complete my customary three miles of moderate walking. In the last nine months, I suppose I’ve logged in nearly...
by Elaine Olsen | Aug 29, 2011 | communion, God's voice, knowing God
I felt the earth move beneath my feet last Tuesday. Literally. Despite the fact that I was 250 miles removed from the epicenter of last week’s earthquake in Mineral, VA, I still felt its tremor. Its duration indicated to me that it was something more than just my...
by Elaine Olsen | Oct 24, 2010 | cancer, cancer volume 4, courage, discipleship, faith, God's voice, Holy Spirit, living God's truth, night visits, pilgrimage, trust
I’ve been stuck recently. Hung up on and hunkered down in a thought or two regarding a particular spoken word from Jesus. A promise. One that doesn’t compute with my internal, spiritual compass. One that has always confused me, challenged me, asked me to consider...
by Elaine Olsen | Aug 16, 2010 | church life, faith, God's voice, Holy Spirit, packing up, pilgrimage
“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength;...
by Elaine Olsen | Jun 7, 2010 | family fun, God's voice, living God's truth, parenting, pilgrimage
As I rounded the corner of mile two on my usual jogging route, I noticed them walking toward me—two middle-school boys getting off the bus… two brothers making their way to the home less than a quarter of a mile from the bus drop. I’ve seen them before; even chatted...