by Elaine Olsen | Jul 23, 2017 | courage, evil, faith, fellowship with God, prayer, rest, strength, surrender
“Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.” Those are the words chiseled into the marble sarcophagus that holds the body of an unidentified military veteran from WWI. In addition, two other unidentified soldiers from WWII and the Korean War are...
by Elaine Olsen | Jan 17, 2015 | grace, hunger, kingdom, knowing God, Lessons from the Lunchroom, miracles, prayer
“When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’” –John 1:37-38 As of late, my pen has been silent. There hasn’t been room enough in my life for words. Just doing. Mostly, just...
by Elaine Olsen | Nov 30, 2014 | Advent, calling, christmas, exemplify, give aways, prayer, truth
My soul doth magnify the Lord (Luke 1:46). I’ve been talking to my soul lately, asking it to keep pace with Mary’s magnificent declaration. Like her, I want my soul to amplify Jesus. I want my soul to make him bigger … more obvious to those around me. But it’s hard....
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 | Oct 8, 2013 | courage, creation, freedom, peace, prayer, rest
From where I’m sitting this morning, I see the witness of the changing season. The tree that hedges my bedroom window is beginning to sharpen in color, while surrendering a leaf to the wind every few minutes. I could stare at it for hours. What rich beauty there is in...
by Elaine Olsen | Aug 20, 2013 | courage, faith, God's Word, Lessons from the Lunchroom, living God's truth, persecution, prayer, strength, suffering, surrender
I listen to their voices as they herald their morning choruses. Songs of faith. Melodies written in antiquity, yet music still breathing the living witness of God. I hear them recite their morning verses. Words of faith. Scripture written in antiquity, yet...
