Christianity – Laurel Luehmann

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading

December memories – 2025

January 5, 2026January 5, 2026by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

2025 is a wrap! And what a glorious year it was to watch God move, drawing people to Himself and bringing His name glory.✨

Peace is looking into the face of my Jesus and needing to see nothing else.
Hannah hodgson (@resurrectionpoetry)

Things worth remembering…

a Christmas parade
decorating for Christmas
winter walks in the dark
a friend who tethered me to truth and light when I couldn’t bring myself to do it
hot cocoa, a slow afternoon with siblings, and The Appendix Scare
celebratory dinners for the first responder siblings
cookie and gift exchange chaos with friends
grapefruit!!
drinking hot chocolate and wrapping gifts while listening to Christmas music
putting a difficult month of winter on the farm in the books
making shortbread for Christmas with the pro (my youngest sister)
so much reading after Christmas
accidental mac and cheese soup
receiving hugs, hot cocoa, and stories from my grandma on a hard day
an evening errand run with the brothers
The Whipped Cream Game
my brother’s eggnog

Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine,
nor ever murmur nor repine;
content, whatever lot I see,
since ’tis my God that leadeth me.
Joseph H. Gilmore

What I’ve been reading…

Louisa May Alcott’s Christmas Treasury – Louisa May Alcott

Before another word could be said, a little old lady appeared in the hall, trying to look stern and failing entirely, because she was the picture of a dear, fat, cozy grandma.

I read this with friends for a book club! It wasn’t my absolute favorite read from Alcott (it began to feel repetitive after awhile), but there were some sweet, thought-provoking stories with Louisa May Alcott’s inevitable dash of humor. Her characters are so endearing!

Where Secrets Lie – Colleen Coble, Rick Acker

I almost didn’t listen to this audiobook because I didn’t love the first book in the series, but I’m glad my restless mind got the better of me; I enjoyed this one so much more the one that preceded it! It ended on a horrible cliffhanger, though, and the third book doesn’t come out till March. Boo!!

Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God – David McCasland

“We are not called to be successful in accordance with ordinary standards, but in accordance with a corn of wheat falling into the ground and dying, becoming in that way what it never could be if it were to abide alone.”

Still reading through this one!

Terms and Traditions – Morgan Taylor Giesbrecht

You know I’m not the biggest fan of the romance genre, but this Christmas rom-com has delighted me with how much I’ve been able to enjoy it! I love the depth of the characters and the author’s sense of humor. If you’re a rom-com fan, you should definitely check this book out.

The LORD is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
Psalm 145:17-18

From the journal…

Strengthen my hands to lay all my hopes and fears to rest on Your chest, and fix my eyes in sheer adoration on You.

Live slowly enough to be able to think deeply about God.
J.I. Packer

What made your December memorable?

❤ 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.:)

writing

caskets and Christmas – a (very) small essay

December 8, 2025December 7, 2025by Laurel Luehmann1 Comment

Hello, friends!

I wrote this piece a couple of years ago and wanted to share it now. I hope it can be a blessing!

Practice guitar for the Christmas program.

Continue with gift preparations.

Finalize edits on my aunt’s obituary.

It’s a cruel and confusing thing to be grieving while the world swirls in such happiness and anticipation to the tune of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” blaring over the radio.

But isn’t that why we have a Christmas in the first place?

God saw, God grieved, and so He came. Christmas isn’t a fragile veneer that’s been plastered over reality. It’s the reality of God made flesh so death could die, and deep grief gives us the opportunity to celebrate that in a way that goes much deeper than trite choruses and wooden nativity scenes.

We stand beside caskets that hold the shells of the ones who have burst into eternity before us, and we lower them into a hole in the earth’s frozen heart and our weeping hollows us out because we are broken, dying humans living in a broken, dying world.

But we sow these shells in a sure and tearful expectation, because, just as the souls we have loved have shed their shells, these shells will one day shed these caskets and meet their Savior in the air because we are healing, blood-bought humans living for a healed and blood-bought world.

And so we carry our grief, sometimes over our shoulders, sometimes in deep, hidden pockets, but always with a deep-seated expectation that weeping only endures for a night, and joy will come with the morning.

Whether that morning is earthside or not matters not to us, because we are trusting a flimsy future to the hands of a sturdy God. He has worked all for the good of those who love Him, and He is unchanging. Why should He think He will break that habit now?

Photo by Klim Musalimov on Unsplash

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading

November memories – 2025

December 1, 2025by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

November was a gift. ❤

“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him.”
Lamentations 3:24

Things worth remembering…

the maples in my backyard turning golden
wondering why Marketplace thinks I need to buy an antique coffin
playing with toddler friends
crochet project adventures
washing windows with a vengeance
getting to watch TWO stage productions with my grandma
making shortbread cookies
prayer and worship with fellow believers
God answering a question with a sermon on the radio hours later
a dear friend taking me on my first Trader Joe’s excursion
a coffeeshop writing/reading/schoolwork date with sisters
wandering Fleet Farm like a lost soul looking for bolts in all the wrong places
making a list of delightful blessings God gave this year
time with extended family and all of the laughter that ensued
getting to enjoy a glorious snowfall without having to work through it
decorating my “most tragic” little Christmas tree for the first time

Turn your eyes upon Jesus;
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
Fanny Crosby

What I’ve been reading…

Delighting in the Trinity – Michael Reeves

Indeed, in the triune God is the love behind all love, the life behind all life, the music behind all music, the beauty behind all beauty and the joy behind all joy.

My favorite non-fiction read of 2025, hands down. Read it!!

The Coronation – Olivia Lynn Jarmusch

“What. Is. That?” Millie asked, drawing out each word for dramatic effect.

“It’s called quiche,” Jillian stated simply.

“I’ve never heard of it.” Millie wrinkled her nose, “I don’t think I like it.”

This has been a cute book thus far! It’s perfect for a light evening read.

Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God – David McCasland

I found this book deeply impactful in high school and have been enjoying a reread.

And I will wait on the LORD,
Who hides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I will hope in Him.
Isaiah 8:17

From the journal…

May every fiber of my being magnify and rejoice in You!

Lord, let me be obedient to the point of the death of my dreams.

I am satisfied because of Who God is. Please be the first thing I seek, the One I long for in the driest of seasons. Help me to see Your lovingkindness as truly better than life.

To pray, “Thy will be done,” I must be willing, if the answer requires it, that my will be undone.
Elisabeth Elliot

What made your November memorable?

❤ 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.:)

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading, writing updates

October memories – 2025

November 10, 2025November 9, 2025by Laurel Luehmann1 Comment

Hello, friends!✨

October was so full of good things…

The measure of our love is the measure of our willingness to be inconvenienced.
Elisabeth elliot

Things worth remembering…

watching God open unforeseen doors
going to a new coffeeshop with a friend
finding another four-leaf clover
walks/bike rides with the youngest sister
dear cousins in town…
therefore walks, Dutch Blitz, talks, and a shopping trip
so much music
trying a new soup recipe (it was delish)
taking senior pictures for my sister
watching sessions from Revive Our Hearts’ True Woman Conference with some dear ladies
Farm and Fleet and burgers with a brother
a helpful webinar from Glory Writers
checking trail cams and climbing round bales

Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart…
Ephesians 6:6-7

What I’ve been reading…

Delighting in the Trinity – Michael Reeves

And that is the God revealed by Jesus Christ. Before He ever created, before He ever ruled the world, before anything else, this God was a Father loving His Son.

AHHHHH!!! Read this book!!! I’ve known the Lord since childhood, but this book digs so deeply into the triune nature of God and what it says about Him (and consequently about our relationship with Him), I feel like I’m meeting and falling in love with Him for the first time all over again.✨

Jo’s Boys – Louisa May Alcott

Prosperity suits some people, and they blossom best in a glow of sunshine; others need the shade, and are the sweeter for a touch of frost.

This one was so good, even though my favorite boy didn’t get his happy ending…

Now and Not Yet – Ruth Chou Simons

Gardening is one part labor of our hands and one part God’s sovereign care through creation. It’s a reminder to us that God often chooses to provide at the intersection of our just get started and His watch me do this.

Hands down one of the very best books I’ve read this year. I came to it expecting a recipe for surviving unwanted circumstances and came away challenged to thrive in the pieces and seasons of life I wouldn’t have chosen. It was also an encouragement to me to stop moping at the doors God’s closed to me and instead start asking Him to show me the doors He’s opening and give me the courage to walk through them. If you’re struggling with discontentment or restlessness, read this book if you can.

Before I Called You Mine – Nicole Deese

“The way to shape a child’s heart is through love. And the way to shape a child’s mind is through literature. When you read to a child, you accomplish both.”

Romance still isn’t my genre, hehe, but I so enjoy Nicole Deese’s writing style and endearing characters. I listened to the audiobook after my sister read the book, and it was so much fun to discuss it with her. I’d recommend this book if you enjoy the clean contemporary romance genre, fun-loving male MCs (think a hilarious dinosaur obsession), parts of the story told through text threads, and some adorable kids.

Loving Your Husband Before You Even Have One – Kim Vollendorf

Character is shaped by the level of God’s control in our lives.

This one popped up as a recommended audiobook on Spotify, and, to be honest, I was skeptical but in possession of lots of audiobook hours to use before the end of the month, so…I started it. I haven’t listened to much of it, but I’ve been so pleasantly surprised. Thus far it’s been a convicting and encouraging listen.

A New Song – Jan Karon

“‘Snickers has ear mites, I hope Barnabas is doin’ fine in all those sandspurs, I hope to th’ Lord you’ll check his paws on a regular basis.’ Emma was running her straw around the bottom of the cup and sucking with great expectation, but not finding much. He turned the volume down on the answering machine.”

Continuing the Mitford series…as always, it’s a lighthearted yet touching read.

Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,
And revive me in Your way.
Psalm 119:37

From the journal…

Help me to treasure and see as weighty the gaze of Your eyes alone.

I laugh in wonderstruck delight

at the order You have settled in the heavens:

the way You set Earth in its orbit

just close enough to smile at the rays of the sun.

and yet I worry that I – a trillionth of a speck

on the face of North America –

missed something that You wanted me to find,

and now it can never be recovered.

Your sovereignty, O Lord,

has taken into consideration my clumsiness…

Ever heighten my sensitivity to sin in my own life and root it out, but ever deepen my comprehension of the depth of Your grace. Don’t let Satan wield my awareness of sin (confessed and repented-of sin) to drive me deep into despair and a sense of worthlessness…show me Your glory and Your mercy!

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
titus 2:11-14

What made your October memorable?

❤ 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.:)

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Carving legacies in souls

January 29, 2024January 27, 2024by Laurel Luehmann4 Comments

Hello, friends!

Today’s post is a repost from a couple of years ago that echoes what’s been on my mind lately. I hope you enjoy! ❤

What will I leave behind?

It’s a question that’s tugged at my attention for years. As I read the stories of eternal heroes with short lives and stared at the caskets of people I held dear, the question haunted my mind.

so small and

insignificant

one breath will

blow this life away, and

what

will be the proof that

it was here?

mangled lives

and broken hearts?

friendships

that were torn apart by

hands that now lie still and cold?

oh, no!

forbid it, Lord!

A month or so ago a friend and I were wandering through a beautiful cemetery that sprawls over several acres of hills. (You know you have loyal friends when they smilingly join you on strange expeditions.) There were so many old gravestones – some tipped and sinking deep into the soil. Several were ridiculously tall and ornate, but they were so old that wind and water and time had wiped the sentimental words right off of the marker. Their attempts to leave an echo of their greatness were in vain.

Of course I hope that I leave behind me a trail of words that can point others to Christ and to truth decades after I’m gone, but paper burns. Ink fades. Files become corrupted.

If words are all I leave, I’ve failed.

For even if my words could surpass the masterpieces of Dickens and Shakespeare,

If I sang with the voice of an angel,

If the world remembers my name until the world stops turning,

But I have not love…

I am nothing.

oh, Father, keep me

on the sidelines with a loving heart

if I can’t champion the world

with outstretched hands.

Words fade. People don’t.

Let’s live our lives accordingly.

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I have found the one whom my soul loves…

October 10, 2022by Laurel Luehmann5 Comments

This phrase, found in Song of Solomon, has always captured my heart with its beauty and the victory it implies.

I was excited for the day when I could finally say it to someone.

This summer, shortly after my grandma passed away, a dear friend gifted our family a mug that bears those words…

and it finally hit me.

I have found the One whom my soul loves.

He sought me out before I wanted Him, seeing the beauty that could be instead of the ugliness I was.

He could have cast me aside for something, someone far more worthy. But He didn’t.

He could have let the cup of His Father’s wrath pour out on me. But He didn’t.

He took it up in weary hands and drank its dregs, giving the last breath in His lungs to rend the veil that kept me from Him.

What love could be greater than this?

Yes, I have found the One whom my soul loves.

I won’t know the full meaning of those words until I step across the fine line of eternity and see His face for the very first time.

I’m certain I won’t be able to say it without weeping…

“I have found the One whom my soul loves.”

Poetry

First Love – a poem

March 14, 2022by Laurel Luehmann4 Comments

Hello, friends!

I wrote this poem the other morning…aren’t you so grateful for a God who makes all things new?

Sidenote: I cannot wait to smell the white clover again this summer.❤

when I stop to think about it…

I miss the days when

I first fell in love with You.

when all of life shone because of

the beauty You sparked in my heart…

when everything reminded me of You –

a frosted oak leaf

the scent of white clover

a baby’s giggle –

and nothing seemed

too daunting to face

with You.

You haven’t changed…

my heart has calloused.

oh, may I be

tender again to

Your whisper

Your smile

Your thoughtfulness

in choosing my heart as

Your treasure.

You make all things new…

God bring me back to

the passion of my first love.

P.S. If you’d like to get a signed copy of This Will Not Last, stay tuned for preorders opening up next Monday!!! *bounces off walls*

Photo by Timothy Dykes on Unsplash

life

What is success?

February 21, 2022by Laurel Luehmann5 Comments

We work and we strive and we ache and we strain and we long…

For what?

What do we think we need to call ourselves successful?

What do our lives say?

How does the way we spend our energy, our time, our money, our words, our thoughts, scream to the world what we truly call success? Not what we think we call success, not what we want to call success, but what we truly call success.

Earthly glory? The approval of others? Popularity? An easy life?

Is that what we really want to see as success?

Strong relationships. Loving people well. Approval in the eyes of God. Serving and nourishing the body of Christ. Collapsing on the finish line at the feet of my Savior, gasping, “I gave it all I had.”

That’s what I want to see as success.

That’s what I want to scream to the world through my life that I see as success.

It’s not a lifestyle into which I can fall with no effort. It’s an intentional, daily battle for the highest and holiest…

For the way I was created to live.

“Only one life, ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” – C.T. Studd

Photo by Tim Bogdanov on Unsplash

Uncategorized

No Condemnation – Repost

November 29, 2021by Laurel Luehmann4 Comments

Hey, friends!

I originally shared this post last autumn… but it came to mind this morning.

I needed to read it again today. Who knows… maybe you do, too! If that’s the case, then here it is.:)

To be honest…

Some days I get so frustrated with myself for not being the person I want to be. Being me, I mess up, then start throwing accusing questions at myself.

Why can’t I get my life figured out?

Why did I do such an awful job at work today?

Why can’t I live up to everyone’s expectations?

Why can’t I live up to my own expectations?

I can so relate to the Apostle Paul when he writes in Romans 7:15, “…what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.”

Cue the sickening feelings of guilt, insufficiency, and sinfulness. Right?

Wrong.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” – Romans 8:1

This is one of my favorite Bible verses ever. Are you serious? No condemnation???

I’m floored by the fact that the God who looks into my heart and knows my sins even better than I do is the One who loves me with such passion and faithfulness. This incredible love compelled Him to take on Himself the full punishment for my sins. He received all of my condemnation on the cross.

God isn’t calling me to beat myself up over my failures… He’s already been beaten for me.

I can’t let my shortcomings define me. Christ defines me. Yes, I will sin… but I’ll take that sin to God, repent, and walk away from it, travelling on in the amazing grace He gives.

Praise God, I can walk in freedom!

Will you do the same?

Also…

I wanted to thank you for sticking around here and reading my writing. You have no idea what a blessing that is to me! I love hearing from you and being able to share what’s on my heart and mind. So, thank you. You are so appreciated. ❤

P.S. Keep an eye out for a Christmas short story/flash fiction coming up here soon!!!

Uncategorized

Intentionality.

March 18, 2021by Laurel Luehmann5 Comments

It’s a word that popped into my mind when I wanted to choose a few theme words for this year, and it’s a word that’s continued to force itself upon my consciousness throughout these months.

Intentionality.

I want it in my life as a Christian. I want it in my life as a daughter. I want it in my life as a sister. I want it in my life as a friend. I want it in my life as an employee, a writer, a student…

I want it to define my life, because my days are short and few. A moment slips by without notice or effort, and then it’s gone forever.

So I want to be intentional.

To intentionally put God first in my heart, my mind, and my days.

To intentionally battle procrastination so I don’t have to push people away when I’m scrambling for a deadline.

To intentionally do my best work on the smallest of tasks, whether at the farm, at the keyboard, or in the home.

To intentionally send a text or letter just to let someone know they matter.

To intentionally put down my phone or close my laptop or book to be all there when someone calls my name.

To intentionally drink in the beauty of life.

To intentionally battle introverted tendencies and strike up conversations with people I don’t know well.

To intentionally be transparent, tearing down any false fronts I’ve set up in my life.

To intentionally thirst for wisdom… and then intentionally seek it.

To intentionally take up my cross and follow Jesus, every single day.

To intentionally live for God.