Laurel Luehmann

Reflections on a year of Beauty Even Here

August 26, 2026by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

One year later, I sit here in the hour before dawn, as the sky colors lavender and pink in anticipation of the sun’s arrival, and the poetry of being able to soak in the beauty and symbolism of this hour is not lost on me.

I have spent much of my (short, I know) life waiting for the dawn…for the light of literal morning, for clarity in the light of God’s Word, for the moment when light will break over the darkest of circumstances and we will see that, truly, hope was not lost.

I have learned that the sweetest way to spend this darkest hour is to find my favorite constellation, brew a mug of coffee, and settle in with my Bible, journal, and a stack of books.

Seek the pinpricks of light afforded. Make and savor something beautiful. Fill my mind with truth, and preach it again to myself.

This, I realize today, is the essence of Beauty Even Here.

It’s a compilation of poetry that I wrote while feeling lost, directionless, confused, and disappointed by God’s timing. It’s in the spirit of Habakkuk, or Martha running to meet Jesus after her brother had been dead three days.

It’s full of poems that ask why, God?, but also of poems that cry show me, God…help me, God…heal me, God…turn my eyes to Yours.

One of my favorite lines from Beauty Even Here is nothing and everything has changed, and I feel that deeply – in a different way than I meant in that poem – a year or two later. A good deal has changed in my circumstances, but so little has changed in the tendencies of my heart: to seek the dawn of an answered prayer rather than the face of the One who is answering.

That, also, is the heart of Beauty Even Here, because I am stubborn, stuck in my ways, and so desperately need to be reminded and to remind myself to turn my eyes to Jesus in the midst of painful or unwanted circumstances, rather than just seeking relief and escape.

Spoiler alert if you haven’t read the book: He is the beauty even here.

So may we love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and learn to seek His face before we seek His hand.

He is our light, our joy, our ultimate satisfaction and beauty in both our darkest and most ordinary days.

What a gift He is!! How kind He is! We could not trust our lives to anyone better or more capable and worthy.

May He in truth be the most beautiful One to us in all our days.

Stay the course,

<3 Laurel

A small P.S. For nearly a month I’ve been wanting to get back into the habit of writing down three beautiful things that have happened/I’ve seen each day…as I’ve been writing this, I’ve been convinced that I do indeed need to get back into this habit. If you’d like to join me in doing this for just a month (hopefully you’ll get hooked on it and end up doing it for longer, hehe!), consider this your nudge and your invitation. 🙂

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finally…a magazine for the teen girls!!

July 29, 2026July 28, 2026by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

Some of my core childhood memories are of spending hours poring over magazines: decades-old issues of Cricket that were piled on the bookshelf at my grandma’s house, the Highlights subscription my grandpa gave me for years, a Christian magazine for teen girls/young women that has since gone out of print.

As so many children’s magazines have gone off the rails in terms of age-appropriate content and wholesome values, while at the same time the creative space has largely migrated to the digital world, I’ve grieved the fact that my sisters and so many other young women don’t have the chance to build similar memories of eagerly checking the mailbox for the latest edition of a fun and wholesome magazine.

I’m so happy to announce that Crown of Beauty is changing that!!

About the Magazine✨

Crown of Beauty Magazine is a quarterly print and digital publication created for Christian teens and young women (ages 13–30) who desire a life rooted in faith, beauty, and purpose.

Through a blend of Biblical encouragement and soft, whimsical storytelling, we explore:

~Biblical womanhood
~Joyful, intentional living
~The whimsy of girlhood
~Wholesome adventure and creativity

Each issue is designed to feel like a breath of fresh air, uplifting the heart, inspiring the imagination, and reminding every reader of her God-given worth.

We’re a collective of voices releasing beauty, joy, and whimsy into the world. Join our community! There’s always a seat at the table. You can sit with us!

Visit the website!

The Awakening Issue🌸

Sleeping Beauty, it’s time to awaken.

In this stunning, 72 page debut issue, you’ll find articles highlighting young women who are walking with God and have wisdom to share from their unique season of life. Take back your Sword of Truth and demolish the enemy’s lies with our Bible Study and reflective journaling questions. Plan a fabulous summer strawberry party with your girlies, slow down and find the whimsy in a Little Women summer, and get tips for spending less time scrolling and more time living!

Filled with gorgeous photography, uplifting articles and whimsical summer clipart, The Awakening Issue is more than a magazine—it’s an invitation to step into the life God created you to live as His Royal Princess Daughter.

This issue is just plain delightful. The design is whimsical and lovely, and the content is a fun mix of interviews, clip art, summer fun inspo, and truth-filled articles and writings.

(I was also honored to have one of my poems featured in this issue, and one of my dear friends wrote one of the articles, sooo…that always adds to the fun, am I right?🤭)

Technically I’m still in the target audience of this magazine, but I can just picture my teenaged self absolutely devouring this issue one sunny Saturday afternoon on the porch, probably with a journal to take notes…and a freezie, of course.😆

While I didn’t get to enjoy this magazine in my teens, I’m just so grateful it exists today and excited to see how the Lord uses it to bring an extra dose of truth and beauty into the lives of the young women it reaches! It would be a delightful gift for a beauty+whimsy-loving young lady in your life…a daughter, granddaughter, sister, or friend.

Find your copy here!

Crown of Beauty is also running a giveaway through the end of this month…

Enter to win a free copy of The Awakening Issue!

I’d love to hear…did you grow up on any fun magazines?🤭

Stay the course!

<3 Laurel

Flash Fiction

muddy palomino – flash fiction

June 8, 2026June 8, 2026by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

Happy Monday, friends!

I’ve been working on a contemporary fiction project again recently and am currently fleshing out the history of one of my main characters. I wrote this piece to help develop a certain aspect of his character/personality and thought I’d share it here!

I hope you enjoy.:)

“I heard Mother and Daddy talking real quiet in the kitchen last night.”

Debbie Rutledge, having cornered her little brother where he was helping his model horses play rodeo beneath the piano, passed along this bit of knowledge in a covert tone of voice.

Roy’s eyebrows knitted. “We’re not supposed to eavesdrop.”

Debbie cast her eyes downward to Roy’s favorite palomino, thick eyelashes spreading on her round cheeks as she adopted an attitude of having been properly chastised. After a few moments, she leaned close to Roy’s sunburned ear. “Daddy said we’re moving again.”

Roy forgot any scruples regarding his sister’s questionable behavior and stared at her in mournful disbelief. “Why?”

“He’s in the Air Force, silly. When you’re in that, you have to move a lot.” And Debbie tossed her hair over her shoulder in an aloof way that Roy understood to mean If you were ten, you’d understand.

Now Roy stared at his palomino (who had stopped barrel racing to listen to Debbie’s bad news) and tried to understand why the fact that Daddy worked with planes meant they had to move…again. Couldn’t planes fly so fast and be back to the same place in a jiffy? “But why?”

“Daddy says it’s just part of the job.”

“Can we ever come back again?”

Debbie shrugged carelessly. “I don’t know. Maybe. I didn’t hear them talk about that.” Her eyes brightened, like she was actually excited about having to leave. “I wonder where we’ll go! Maybe we’ll get to have a blue house or live near mountains.”

Roy ran a finger down his palomino’s painted mane. He thought about the good friends he’d made here – Doug and Tony and Ben in particular, who’d taught him how to play cops and robbers – and the ice cream shop that was just down the street and the hydrangea bush beneath his bedroom window that was the best hiding spot ever for hide and seek.

Even if they did live in a blue house near the mountains, would there be friends like Doug and Tony and Ben and an ice cream shop and a hydrangea bush there? Roy wasn’t so sure. When he found something good – like his palomino, which he’d found last summer underneath the slide at the school playground, half-covered in mud – he never wanted to let it go. You could never be sure you’d find something quite so nice ever again.

“When I grow up,” Roy said slowly, “I’m going to get a job where I can stay in one place forever and ever.”

His palomino liked that idea, too.

Poetry

manifesto of the unmarried homemaker – a poem

June 1, 2026by Laurel Luehmann6 Comments

Hello, friends!

I was digging through my Notes app (as one does) and ran across this poem from over two years ago.

I thought I’d share.✨

eleven minutes past midnight, my legs are restless for

a mad dash down a winding road,

and I just want to be home…

to curl up in a familiar bed

and know these weary bones can curl

beneath a quilt of home.

my soul stirs, too,

with my cramped and aching muscles,

and I want this journey down a winding road

to lead me safely home…

to curl for the first time in familiar Arms

that hold a depth of home I’ll never fully grasp

till then.

h o m e . . .

it’s a quiet word, unassuming, and yet

it holds the deepest

hopes and dreams of this stumbling soul.

in the scarred flesh and blood of me,

the call of home stirs…

a desire to be the smile

at the end of a man’s long day of honest work

and the refuge and sustainer of a tribe of growing souls.

something in me whispers

this is the life for which you were made,

but wisdom whispers louder visions

of sagging skin and graying hair and

I know

that even dream days fly on dying wings.

and so He teaches me to long for something greater…

to let home mean more

than a picture-perfect vision,

for home is

forgiveness in pain-shot eyes,

plans rearranged so hearts can be realigned,

and whispers of I’m here for you

in the midst of the madding crowd.

it’s a sturdy way of loving

blood and stranger just the same,

and it grows as well in hearts as it does in houses.

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

Poetry

God is not giving you breadcrumbs. (a poem and a link to an old post)

May 11, 2026by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

You are not a Father who

pats His children on the head and

asks them to love breadcrumbs

as their playfellows feast sumptuously

at a table weighed down.

You are the Father who,

as the rest of the children run

helter-skelter after the ice cream truck,

taps us on the shoulder

with a finger to Your smiling lips

and whispers, “how about something even better?”

What is it about unanswered prayers that makes us believe God is holding out on us?

Somehow, though we have seen His faithfulness and sovereignty time and again, we need reminders of those sightings time and again. As I tend to write to preach to my own heart, I thought I’d share with this poem an old post that resonated with me again today and pairs nicely with this poem…in my opinion, at least. 🙂

a rambling post on time and hurt and promises (perhaps with a couple of poems) – Laurel Luehmann

The Lord is so wise and kind…may we learn to love His heart and will more deeply day by day!

Stay the course!

<3 Laurel

Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading

April memories – 2026

May 4, 2026by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

Hello, friends!

These blog posts are some of my favorites to write, and I’ve heard they’re favorites with some of you, as well. That makes me so happy…thank you for reading!!

That being said, after this post I am going to switch things up on you guys and turn the monthly memories posts into a monthly email sent to my newsletter subscribers. So! If you love these posts and don’t want to stop ~~being nosy~~ reading them, here’s the link to subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss the next one.

(And if you’re concerned about email spam, don’t be. Sending a bi-weekly newsletter is my hope, but that goal is rarely reached these days.XD)

We make our lives insupportably complex by disobeying Jesus’ command to take no thought for tomorrow. Planning for tomorrow, when planning is necessary and possible, belongs properly to today. Worrying about tomorrow belongs nowhere. The Lord gives us daily, not weekly, bread. He gives strength according to our days, not our years.
Elisabeth elliot In A Path through suffering

Things worth remembering…

my family’s annual Christian Seder meal
watching God answer a huge prayer within days
writing more poetry than I have in a long time
getting to see A Great Awakening in the theater (so good!!)
evening writing sessions with a mug of tea
walks and phone calls
a sibling nacho night
the everlasting game of cornhole
Bible studies
mastering iced coffee and learning not to freeze things in pickle jars
late night ice cream to celebrate a sister
coffee with my mom
violets in the lawn
watching the trees green up
so many trees bursting into bloom
rediscovering the journal I kept at age 8🫠🫠🫠
the first lawn mowing of the year
riding in the tractor with my brother

One learns, as one goes, not to fear the detours by which God leads on.
Lilias trotter

What I’ve been reading…

The Atlas of Untold Stories – Sara Brunsvold

If Jesus had been driven to the Gateway Arch and told by his intrepid redhead that they would hover 630 feet above ground in a claustrophobic viewing chamber, what would he do? Chances seemed solid that he too would regret not putting more caveats on his promise to do anything not involving a river.

I love Sara Brunsvold’s work. This one doesn’t feel as homey or as much of a comfort read as her previous books (it does revolve around a road trip, after all!), but instead it’s rich with complicated mother-daughter and sister relationships and deep dives into their personalities and heart struggles. I’m so glad I read it, and definitely recommend if you’re a contemporary fiction fan.

A Passion for the Impossible: The Life of Lilias Trotter – Miriam Huffman Rockness

“You are right to be glad in His April days while He gives them. Every stage of heavenly growth in us is lovely to Him; He is the God of the daisies and the lambs and the merry child hearts!”

I’m still in the early chapters of this book, but it’s been so good already. (And it’s 50% off right now on Amazon!!)

Winnie-the-Pooh – A.A. Milne

When you put it like this, you saw how it was, and you aimed very carefully at the balloon, and fired.

“Ow!“ said Pooh.

“Did I miss?” you asked.

“You didn’t exactly miss,” said Pooh, “but you missed the balloon.”

Sometimes you just need to read about Winnie-the-Pooh. I figured that it being 100 years of Winnie-the-Pooh this year was as good an excuse as any!

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness – Andrew Peterson

That evil was a nameless evil, an evil whose name was Gnag the Nameless.

This book has been wildly popular with my sister and her peers, and one Sunday afternoon I finally cracked and decided I must know what the hype is all about. I am thoroughly enjoying myself.

In This Mountain – Jan Karon

Mule sank back in the booth, looking depressed. “I’ll have what I been havin’ before th’ new menu, a grilled pimiento cheese on white bread, hold the mayo.”

“Do you see anything on this menu sayin’ pimiento cheese? On this menu, we don’t have pimiento cheese, we ain’t goin’ to get pimiento cheese, and that’s th’ end of it.” The proprietor stomped away, looking disgusted.

“You made him mad,” said J.C., wiping his face with his handkerchief.

“How can a man make a livin’ without pimiento cheese on his menu?” Mule asked.

I’m trying to stay ahead of another sister in the Mitford series, and this book, as expected, has been equal parts humorous and heartwarming.

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the LORD.
Psalm 104:33-34

From the journal…

When I know God, what grieves His heart will grieve mine…it will become personal.

Let Your will be done, and help me to love Your will.

You know my frame, O Father…provide for me as You see I need provision! Satisfy me with Your mercy as only You can. Keep my heart and mind pure and close to You, free from all traces of selfishness and bitterness.

The itch to know and to have and to be anything other than what God intends me to know, to have, and to be must go.
Elisabeth Elliot

What made your April memorable? What beauty have you been seeing these days?

<3 Laurel

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission…at no extra cost to you. We all win.:)

Poetry

of radios, hearing, and singing harmony – a nameless poem

April 20, 2026by Laurel Luehmann4 Comments

I wonder if, sometimes, when You speak,

all You hear is Your voice echoing off the shards of

a broken world that is plugging its ears,

or at least has the radio of its self-importance

cranked so high that

it cannot catch Your voice.

what a tragedy, to so deliberately drown

the voice of the Almighty with my own!

so open my ears to

Your voice, Your laughter, Your love songs.

catch my attention with

the things that make Your own heart beat faster.

when You speak, I want to settle at Your feet

or scramble to keep in step with You,

yanking off my stocking cap

to be sure I can catch every word.

when You laugh, I want to laugh with You,

letting my eyes follow Yours to see the joy

and abundance of gladness You see in these days.

when You sing, I want to stop my ears

to every note of wickedness so I can catch

the sweet song of Your Church living in harmony,

with each other and with Your Spirit.

I do not want to come to the end of my days to find

that, enthralled by the sound of my own voice,

I lived in dissonance with the song of the Creator.

each and every one of my days

I want to lace my life beneath Your melody

as a pleasing harmony,

drawing attention not to my own skill but

to the beauty of Your arrangement.

make me a willing musician in Your courts

forever and a day.

Uncategorized

A weekend book sale announcement

April 11, 2026by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

Hello, friends!

Just popping in quickly today to let you know that a bookstore I partner with is running a birthday sale for the shop’s owner…which means 25% off used books and 10% off indie books (which includes my books: Clarion Hope and Beauty Even Here✨).

So!

If you’ve been looking to find some preloved or indie books without leaving the comfort of your own home AND support a small business AND not spend a ton of money…this is your time to shine.

browse the website and find your new favorite read🔗✨

And if you’re specifically looking for one of my books, here are the links for Clarion Hope (which had a birthday of its own last Saturday!!) and Beauty Even Here.

That’s all!🤭

Stay the course!

<3 Laurel

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Emmaus, disillusionment, and the silence of God

April 6, 2026by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

Happy Monday, friends! Christ is RISEN!!!

Holy Week is arguably my favorite week of the year, lodged deep in the heart of my favorite season of the year. It’s rife with emotion, reflection, tradition, and celebration – all things I treasure – and it’s centered around my Savior and His love, worth, and triumph.

It is a gift.

He is a gift.

Today I wanted to share some thoughts (shared last year in my newsletter) on a portion of Scripture that never – and I mean never – interested me until recently.

I don’t know why I always skimmed over the account of Jesus joining the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, but, apart from my childhood fascination with Jesus suddenly disappearing from the table after breaking bread, it had never stuck out to me before.

But finally one phrase in that account hit home…

“Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have you not known the things…concerning Jesus of Nazareth…and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.”
luke 24:18-21

I can almost hear the devastation and confusion, even the hurt in Cleopas’ voice as he shares his shattered hopes with the man he has yet to learn is Jesus.

And yet I almost smile in anticipation of the revelation that is to come for him. Just wait, Cleopas! He has redeemed Israel! Just in a far better, far grander way than you could have dreamed.

Just wait.

I think this story has finally stuck out to me because I find Cleopas’ disappointment and disillusionment to be so relatable. Over and over again I’ve dreamed up ways God could redeem the broken storylines that hang aching in my life, and over and over again I turn confused and hurt-filled eyes to Jesus and whisper,

“But I was hoping You were going to redeem this.”

I can picture His patient smile. Just wait, Laurel! I am redeeming this! Just in a far better, far grander way than you could have dreamed.

Just wait.

I’ll be honest; my flesh is so very sick of waiting.

I, with the disciples who ran confused after Christ’s crucifixion, want answers and healing right here, right now, and I know I’m not the only one.

But.

God has all the time in the world.

He is in no hurry.

He is good. He is righteous. He sees you, and He sees me. His heart breaks at this brokenness, too.

And He is a Redeemer, never late, ever unafraid of the clock.

So even when our hearts want so badly to scream for wholeness on our terms and on our timelines, we can lay our fears and even our anger to rest on the heart that bled out for us.

I scribbled this on a sticky note the other day and stuck it on my fridge as a reminder:

I have learned not to fear the silence of God.

God’s silence stretched on for 400 years, and then He changed the world forever.

He is not silent in confusion, indecision, or fear.

He is silent in anticipation.

Oh, what a wondrous God we get to love and serve! May He be the strength of our hearts today and our portion forever.

Stay the course!

<3 Laurel

Photo by Martino Pietropoli on Unsplash

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading

March memories – 2026

March 30, 2026May 1, 2026by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

Hello, friends!

I’m noticing as I look back on this month that it held a good amount of firsts…what a sanctifying adventure it was!!

Lord Crucified, O mark Thy holy Cross
On motive, preference, all fond desires,
On that which self in any form inspires,
Set Thou that sign of loss.

And when the touch of death is here and there
Laid on a thing most precious in our eyes,
Let us not wonder, let us recognize
The answer to this prayer.
Amy Carmichael

Things worth remembering…

worshipping with my aunt and uncle’s church family in CA at long last
just sitting and watching the waves roll in from the Pacific for the first time
clam chowder
hiking in the California hills
precious time with family I hadn’t seen in years
getting the giggles with my sister/travel buddy multiple times
my local library’s winter reading challenge
reading in the sunshine
coffee dates with friends
shocking myself by thoroughly enjoying several rounds of hide and seek
watching green grass begin to come through the lawn
a spontaneous ice cream run
getting to lead worship with a drum set for the first time
the blizzard happening on a day I didn’t have to work (three cheers for my brother who braved the snow)
hitting my mostly-annual spring high and writing my mostly-annual spring poem
indulging in fresh flowers and lemons
my sister’s birthday ice cream bar (ice cream is always a delight, but for some reason it was just insanely good that evening)
unexpected happy mail from friends

In a sense, our minds and our hearts will spend our whole lives catching up with the reality of the love of Christ.
Alistair Begg in Pray Big

What I’ve been reading…

A New Song – Jan Karon

“‘May our sleep be deep and soft,’” he whispered, “’so our work be fresh and hard.'”

A gem of a book. I gasped audibly near the end…I think out of all the Mitford books thus far, I found this one the most moving.

Beauty Even Here – Laurel Luehmann

this, says Your whisper, is the test of my love, begging it to become a love that is not contingent on bloated expectations, but a love that trusts even when blood runs into the eyes and pain carves canyons in the heart.

Yes, I read my own books sometimes. XD

A Path Through Suffering – Elisabeth Elliot

The whole Christian life is a process of bringing the self-life down to death in order that the life of Jesus may be manifest in us.

I had meant to begin this book earlier, but as the Lord so often orchestrates things, I ended up reading it at a very meaningful time. I hadn’t read Elisabeth Elliot in a long time, and it was a joy to come back to her work. This is well worth the read.

A Common Life: The Wedding Story – Jan Karon

“Father—continue to open me and lay me bare, for I have been selfish and closed, always keeping something back, even from You. Forgive me. . .”

My goodness. I savored every moment of this book. I absolutely loved how the author gave so many of the townspeople a POV in this book, and told us so many of the characters’ love stories firsthand! It was absolutely adorable and the humor was impeccable, too…I was laughing out loud. If you love Mitford already, please please read this book.

The Lies We Live – Morgan Taylor Giesbrecht

As he tread past her to approach the sofa opposite her, she stuck her foot out, tripping him…she met his gaze with mock sincerity. “Oh, my apologies, I didn’t realise you were aware of my presence.”

It’s taking me a bit longer to get into this book, but it involves espionage, hidden backstories, and a WWI setting in England…I’m enjoying the vibes and look forward to getting swept up in the plot as it continues!

Measure thy life by loss and not by gain; not by the wine drunk but by the wine poured forth, for love’s strength standeth in love’s sacrifice, and he that suffereth most hath most to give.
Ugo Bassi

From the journal…

Flow through me, Father. Keep me emptied of my own selfish ambitions and desires, and satisfy me fully in Your love.

…forgive me for the times I have angrily or impatiently questioned You, despising Your simple, gracious provision. Open my eyes and hands to the riches You shower upon me!

There will never be a plot twist that reveals Your love to be less or absent – only ever greater and more lavish than I could have dreamed. Thank You for this grace.

Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
That you may be wise in your latter days.
There are many plans in a man’s heart,
Nevertheless the LORD’s counsel – that will stand.
Proverbs 19:20-21

What made your March memorable? What beauty have you been seeing these days?

<3 Laurel

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission…at no extra cost to you. We all win.:)