Author: Laurel Luehmann

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal

October memories – 2023

by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments on October memories – 2023
October memories – 2023

Hello, friends!

October was so full of life. The hard. The beautiful. The crazy. The calm.

Here’s a glimpse…

Things worth remembering…

  • ice cream and card games and Orion
  • The Turkey Discovery (if you know, you know)
  • managing to wrangle six heads of hair into curls or updos
  • a wedding!!!
  • being pleasantly surprised by the fact that that the “intruder” who scared me half to death was the brother I hadn’t seen in months
  • ax throwing for the first time (I was not as good as I thought I could be)
  • balloon arch adventures
  • introducing my sisters to Bleak House
  • finally going on the hike I’d wanted to do all summer
  • using the Passover lesson in Sunday school as an excuse to make matzah bread ❤
  • a photography session with sisters
  • getting my hair chopped

He foresaw my every fall, my every sin, my every backsliding; yet, nevertheless, fixed His heart upon me.

A.W. Pink

What I’ve been reading…

(Yes, this list is nearly identical to last month’s list. October was not my best reading month ever.)

The Fellowship of the Ring – J.R.R. Tolkien

There is a seed of courage hidden (often deeply, it is true) in the heart of the fattest and most timid hobbit, waiting for some final and desperate danger to make it grow.

Yes, I’ve been slogging through this the entire month, and I’m not even halfway through. I loved The Hobbit, and so was determined to like this one. Thankfully the story is picking up again and I’m enjoying it instead of making myself read it. XD

The Pursuit of God – A.W. Tozer

As long as you set yourself up as a little god to which you must be loyal there will be those who will delight to offer affront to your idol. How then can you hope to have inward peace?…Such a burden as this is not necessary to bear…The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world was not worth the effort.

I’m just wrapping this one up for the second time, and it’s so very good.

Cathedral – Maya Joelle

You are worthless, and yet you deserve so much more than you are given. I tear you apart with contradiction. – from coming, written from the perspective of Death

I’m rereading this book this fall! It’s one of my favorite collections of poetry…Maya’s words strike a chord deep in the soul and hold out such solid truth. If you’re looking for a good little book of melancholy-yet-somehow-hopeful poetry for this autumn, I’d definitely recommend it. ❤

Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain
Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Kathrina von Schlegel (translated by Jane Borthwick)

From the journal…

ISN’T HE [Christ] WORTH EVERYTHING?

The redemption and healing feels long in coming some days, but, oh, Father, You are trying our souls in Your crucible until we come forth as gold. Thank You for caring enough to make us like You, no matter how uncomfortable the flames.

How was your October? Are there any happenings/quotes/reads that stick out to you? ❤

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

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.:)

Music, Poetry

the dark before the dawn – a tiny collection of longing and hope

by Laurel Luehmann6 Comments on the dark before the dawn – a tiny collection of longing and hope
the dark before the dawn – a tiny collection of longing and hope

Hello, friends!

Sometimes it can feel as if the darkness in the world and within our flawed natures is so weighty, and nearly too heavy to bear. The shorter days and the gloomy skies can exacerbate the soul-weariness, and so I wanted to share with you some of my favorite lyrics/poems/quotes that acknowledge the ache and frustration without glossing it over, and yet point to the light so tangibly, giving an extra dose of courage to keep on standing against the darkness! I hope they can bless you as much as they’ve encouraged me. ❤

I’ve been waiting for the sun
to come blazing up out of the night like a bullet from a gun
till every shadow is scattered, every dragon’s on the run
oh, I believe, I believe that the light is gonna come…

from “The dark before the dawn” by Andrew peterson

send out the light

please

let it pierce this

darkness shrouding my soul

don’t let me sit here

all alone

memories haunting me

“could have been”s taunting me

pulling me

deeper and

deeper and

deeper into

the darkest parts of myself

send out the light

please

don’t leave me here

all alone

– poem xix from my poetry collection, This Will Not Last

…you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

1 peter 2:9-10

and she knew that this pain –

so deep,

so ravaging,

so unpredictable in its

brutal attacks,

would not last forever.

that its strength would only

strengthen her

if only she would let Him

carry her through


those hardest nights…

…and she knew that He would.

poem xxi from my poetry collection This Will Not Last

may you find Hope somewhere unexpected;
may the Thing you’re dreading fade like mist & leave something Beautiful in its place;
may your heart beat again;
may you get warm in places that have been cold for far too long;
may you shift your eyes from the perils before you & remember all the fair things you’ve
seen,
heard,
tasted,
touched,
& made;

may Christ reach into the dusty corners of your soul,
clear out the cobwebs,
blow out the fog,
open the shutters,
& let in His healing light.

Tabby RH

with You, I can see beyond this desert –

on Your shoulders,

I see hope dancing on the horizon,

the truth that

there is more than this suffering…

and this pain will turn to gold

in the furnaces of time.

“furnaces” from my poetry collection Clarion Hope

Do you have any favorite songs/poems/Scriptures/quotes you turn to when you need an extra dose of courage? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

Stay the course!

❤ Laurel

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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.:)

Poetry

injustice – a poem

by Laurel Luehmann3 Comments on injustice – a poem
injustice – a poem

I saw You in the lilies

and I saw You in the waves,

and I saw You in the smile that

stretched across my sister’s face,

but I can’t find You in the bloodstains;

I can’t feel You through the scars…

and I remember that You wore them both

to heal this aching heart.

This is the slightly revised version of the poem I shared last Friday on Instagram. I needed this reminder, and I hope it can bless you, too! Brokenness has never been the end of God’s story. ❤

Poetry

one humble step away – a poem

by Laurel Luehmann6 Comments on one humble step away – a poem
one humble step away – a poem

Hello, friends!

Today’s poem is actually from a few years ago…but I wanted to dig it out of the depths of the blog because I really enjoy the rhythm and the message it holds. Hope you enjoy!

two natures fight within me,

clawing for complete control

and the evil one is winning –

its dark reign I can’t o’erthrow,

for its grasp about my mind

has left an imprint stiff as stone,

and its chains about my heart

into my flesh o’er time have grown.

and I can’t break from these shackles

that hold all my habits tight,

for the rust of time has locked them

and I cry into the night

as I see the one You crafted

to be swift and strong for You

melted to the mess I am –

how could my heart be so untrue?

yet the dawn is breaking now,

and in the early morning rays

I see the promise of the future

and new mercies with new days.

and I see the power of Calvary

making chains and shackles null

as Your faithfulness transforms me

and my shell falls, dead and dull

as new life is pulsing through me –

though I’ve stumbled and I’ve failed,

still You tell me that renewal

is one humble step away.

Photo by Federico Respini on Unsplash

Book Reviews, Personal, reading

September memories – 2023

by Laurel Luehmann3 Comments on September memories – 2023
September memories – 2023

And we leave September in the dust…

(Actually, we’re leaving it in splashes of mud. LOTS of mud. After a very dry summer, we spent a week in mud that made reminded me of London as portrayed in Bleak House.)

When you think of what you are, and despair; think also of what He is, and take heart.

C.H. Spurgeion

Things worth remembering…

  • covering the corn silage bunker
  • breaking two plastic forks on a meatball in the span of 3 minutes
  • starting Sunday school up again
  • hosting this poetry challenge with a friend
  • finding that the fastest route is not always the most direct one
  • APPLE FRITTERS.
  • Making more progress on Project Redemption…make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter to read an exclusive snippet and hear some fun info on the project coming later this week!

There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.

elisabeth elliot

What I’ve been reading…

Southpaw – Tabby RH

Garrison leaned his forearms against the island and bowed his head, letting the wooden countertop take his weight. The High King was still in the business of redemption.

This book!!! There are so many elements of the plot and characters that I want to emulate in my own novels, and it was an absolute joy to read. If you love involved plots with elements of mystery and memorable characters, you’d better get your hands on a copy!

The Pursuit of God – A.W. Tozer

Others before me have gone much farther into these holy mysteries than I have done, but if my fire is not large it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame.

I’ve been in a bit of a non-fiction reading slump, but I so appreciated this book a couple years back and I’m determined to appreciate it again.:)

The Fellowship of the Ring – J.R.R. Tolkien

It was generally agreed that the joke was in very bad taste, and more food and drink were needed to cure the guests of shock and annoyance.

I’ve decided to finally read through this trilogy for the first time this autumn, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased.

Psalm 4:7

From the journal…

Lord, don’t let my fear overcome my desire for what is good and righteous. I just want to want Your ways completely.

Don’t let me choose tasks based on ease, but on Your heart.

Lord, help me to whole-heartedly love Your will, even when it comes at a great cost to myself.

Lay down your life FOR GOOD on the altar of truest love. If you are nothing else, be a clear channel of the love of Christ.

What are you taking away from this September?

Stay the course!

❤ Laurel

Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash

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.:)

Poetry

a poem from the archives (a.k.a. last year)

by Laurel Luehmann7 Comments on a poem from the archives (a.k.a. last year)
a poem from the archives (a.k.a. last year)

Hello, friends!

I dug out some of my old poetry the other day and found so many poems I’d forgotten…I touched one up and decided to share it with you here. I hope it blesses you like it did me.❤

oh, My child…

I see the pain in the way

you hold your head so high –

stiff, afraid of being weak,

vulnerable, for you feel that

another scar would be a thousand too many.

I see you, love,

when you’ve crawled to a secret place

to let out the grief

when the sobs rise without bidding,

and you trap the muffled wails deep in your throat.

even when you weep, you’re guarded…

but I see you.

I want you to know that

you can stop tracing the scars,

running your fingers through the pains in your past

as if they were pearls.

I want you to look up…

see Me, love.

aren’t I more to you than your broken dreams?

will you risk it all just to sail with Me?

I need you to trust Me when I say

this does not need to be your last chapter.

I promise…one day you will smile again

without brushing the ghost of this sorrow.

I’m wanting to read some more cozy poetry this autumn…do you have any favorite poets/collections you would recommend? Please drop any ideas in the comments!

Stay the course!

❤ Laurel

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

Uncategorized

some more autumn-inspired poetry (pt. 2)

by Laurel Luehmann8 Comments on some more autumn-inspired poetry (pt. 2)
some more autumn-inspired poetry (pt. 2)

Hello, friends! Here are a few more little poems that I wrote this week…hope you enjoy! ❤

haunted

my rearview mirror

is covered in dust because

I won’t live haunted.

tea

like the tea she loved,

steeped in boiling water she

only grew stronger.

shadows

don’t let the shadows win…

they dance across my path and

try to smother me in darkness.

(oh, why am I so weak??)

Father, I don’t have the strength

(or light) within this heaving chest

to let the light shine brighter than

the fear they throw around me.

Father, p l e a s e

dispel this night

and hold me tight

within the light.

Stay the course!

❤ Laurel

Photo by Taylor Wright on Unsplash

Poetry

some autumn-inspired poetry (pt. 1)

by Laurel Luehmann6 Comments on some autumn-inspired poetry (pt. 1)
some autumn-inspired poetry (pt. 1)

Hello, friends!

I’ve been hosting a poetry challenge over on Instagram with a dear friend…and man, challenge is the word for it! Some days it’s felt like pulling teeth to have to write another poem, but it’s stretched my creativity and given me some poems that I actually kind of love. Here are a few of them…

cinnamon

as the world slows down in

the north wind’s breath of

cinnamon and dust,

may my words fall short

and my life sing love

in each cozy autumn dawn.

sweater-weather

the wind bites hard,

swirling down from the north and

howling as it brings

a smattering of dry leaves and gravel dust.

I curl my arms around myself,

tucking reddened fingers into the sleeves of

my pilling sweater,

butting hard against the biting wind as

I walk a little slower.

(how delightful it is

to fight hard against something and

know that you’re stronger…)

mysteries

why the sky still blushes beauty at

the dawn on battlefields

why most of us have failed to

keep on crying at the headlines

why we say “you’ve got a lifetime yet”

when some girls die at 21

why we fight so hard for riches

we can’t take beyond the grave

Do you have a favorite of the three? If you’d love to be challenged yourself to write some more poetry, I’d love it if you would join the challenge!

Stay the course!

❤ Laurel

Photo by Kat von Wood on Unsplash

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading

August 2023 memories

by Laurel Luehmann4 Comments on August 2023 memories
August 2023 memories

Hullo, friends!

(Can you believe it? I’m actually getting back into my schedule of posting once a week! XD)

August in my corner of the world was full of life: good and hard and sweaty. (Man, was it ever sweaty.) Here are some of my favorite takeaways…

Things worth remembering…

  • kayaking with a friend, in which chatting + drifting happened as much as paddling 😂
  • pizza dates with siblings
  • a walk in near-complete darkness (for the record, it was not my idea)
  • laughing at laughter
  • raccoons (real and stuffed) and the most glorious puns
  • hearing this song for the first time
  • not melting in the mid-August heat (lemonade helps)
  • becoming an editor and cover designer for siblings
  • a women’s conference and my first book table ever (!!!)
  • prepping this poetry challenge with a friend
  • quality time spent working and laughing and studying with friends
  • finishing several books and paring my “currently reading” shelf down to an almost-healthy size
  • THE FLIES DYING. Now I can be happy and drink my coffee in peace without them wanting a taste.

To every right there is attached a duty, and to every privilege there is tied an obligation.

peter marshall

What I’ve been reading…

Holiness: The Heart God Purifies – Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

In other words, we must make it our constant, conscious ambition and aim to be holy. We have to work at it, concentrate on it, as an athlete sets his sights on winning an Olympic gold medal: He focuses on his objective, he trains and strains to achieve his goal, he sacrifices for it, he endures pain for it, and he puts aside other pursuits for the sake of a higher pursuit.

Reading this while going through Leviticus has been extra convicting/challenging. I highly recommend it.

The Memories We Painted – Caitlin Miller

But wasn’t that what love looked like — loving and being afraid? Wanting the best for someone but afraid of what that meant, of letting go when everything in you still wanted to hold on?


It’s been a while since a piece of fiction has wrenched and strengthened my heart like this.
This slower, introspective read is beautiful, and while some of the dialogue seemed a bit too eloquent (and because of that, slightly unrealistic) for my liking, I loved the way the author expressed the reality of suffering in an honest and hopeful way and wove so many pieces of the story together so masterfully. The dual timeline was also done extremely well! It lent so much depth to the main characters.

The Importance of Being Earnest – Oscar Wilde

“If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life.”

Oh, my goodness. I read most of this aloud to a sister, and half of the time was spent laughing. The humor, plot twists, and foreshadowing are all spot on, and I’ll definitely be reading this again when I need a good laugh.

Look for Yellow – Anna Barroso

I’ll never be a sparkling one
but I hope I’ll catch your eye
I’m dripping with mold instead of glitter
oh how I want to be beautiful
how I want to shine for you

I have mixed feelings about this book…I LOVED the gut-punches and “I feel seen” moments the author delivered in some of the poems, such as the one quoted above…you know, those words you want to roll around and savor in your mind for awhile.✨
Personally I feel that the poetry could have used a bit more clarity and proofreading, but it does contain some real gems for the ones who need to feel seen and known in the middle of grief/hard times.❤️

Their feet upon temptation,
Their faces upon God.

Emily Dickinson

From the journal…

I know You are enough — always will be — but I’m coming to realize that sometimes You show up for those You love by sending them someone who will show them Your love in a very tangible way. (Make me this kind of person.)

The FOMO is hitting hard today…oh, give me a very real sense of Your ability to use me everywhere.

(On the Passover in Exodus 12) I love how God asks them to celebrate this victory of His before it even comes fully to fruition…much as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper in anticipation of the day when we will eat and drink with Christ in His kingdom.

Oh, Father! Keep my eyes and heart and hope fixed on You, not Your work or blessings.

What are you taking away from this August? Did you have a favorite read of the month?

Stay the course!

❤ Laurel

Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash

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.:)