by Elaine Olsen | Apr 7, 2013 | faith, living God's truth, ministry life, packing up, pilgrimage, surrender, trust
“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.” –Psalm 84:5 Her heart spilled over into mine as I read the struggle in her words. Another pastor’s wife, just like me, living the itinerant lifestyle—a nomadic calling...
by Elaine Olsen | Nov 27, 2012 | alicia chole, holiness, hunger, knowing God, living God's truth, surrender
“Craving hearts will never know satisfaction regardless how often or how much God provides.” So tweeted my friend, Alicia Chole. I sat with her thought for a bit, knowing that her words are never casually written. Instead, she writes and lives from a deep well. After...
by Elaine Olsen | Nov 16, 2012 | holiness, letting go, living God's truth, obedience, surrender
I have a few minutes this morning (just a few . . . we’re in the middle of percents and decimals over here; for the record, I didn’t understand them when I was in the 6th grade; at forty-six years old, I can’t say my grasp is much better, but I digress. Forgive me; it...
by Elaine Olsen | Aug 20, 2012 | a quick word, family fun, Lessons from the Lunchroom, parenting, surrender, trust
“Hey, Lunch Lady, can I have another slice of pizza?” So said my son last Friday around noon. It’s only in hindsight that I can laugh about it. In the moment, my emotions were otherwise occupied with thoughts of escape, retreat, and getting out of Dodge...
by Elaine Olsen | May 10, 2012 | conviction, creation, eternity, freedom, knowing God, living God's truth, love, marriage, surrender
The ocean is still free. So I said to myself this past weekend while spending a few days on the shores of the Atlantic. The ocean is still free. Free to roam. Free to breathe. Free to birth. Free to be. Mankind has tried to control it, has sloppily put its...
by Elaine Olsen | Apr 23, 2012 | cancer, cancer volume 4, living God's truth, pilgrimage, strength, suffering, surrender, wholeness
Being a survivor isn’t about defeating the cancer. Being a survivor is about defeating the silence. That’s what I told a group of cancer survivors last Sunday night at a Relay for Life banquet. It’s what I’ve come to believe. To survive cancer is to survive the...