Esther GoetzJan 304 min24/6 - Making Room for RestDriven. Workaholic. Adrenaline junkie. Type A. 24/7. Savior of the world (or at least my world). All of these and more. That was me....
Esther GoetzJan 264 minThe Five Books That Changed My LifeThe other night, I pulled out a very well-worn book that I keep going back and back to. I have a few of these in my life. These are the...
Esther GoetzJan 232 minIs it our job to make God happy?Perhaps it’s not our job to make God happy. We’ve tried every which way. Obeying our parents (except when we didn’t). Being a good spouse...
Esther GoetzJan 192 minBad DriversThere's this bad driver in my life. She's there, steering me down a road that DOES NOT lead me where I really want to go: the space of...
Esther GoetzJan 162 minPrayer is WeirdPrayer is weird. It's one of those things that every person has an opinion about. And for some people, they are strong ones. What it is....
Esther GoetzJan 122 minCleaning Up MessesFinding the beets upside-down in the vegetable drawer first thing in the morning, their bright red juice settled into the cracks, almost...
Esther GoetzJan 92 minThat feeling has been rising up within me...That feeling has been rising up within me. The pressure to do better, be better... STRIVE. FIX. MAKE.IT.HAPPEN. It happens to me every...
-Jan 52 minI always tell myself this...I always tell myself that I'm going to do it differently. The next time my daughter is upset. I want to just listen. Intently. Not talk....
-Jan 22 minThe Big Reveal and What it Might mean for YouThey say that confession is good for the soul. I'm not sure who "they" is, but when I speak a thing out loud, even if it's scary and...
-Dec 30, 20214 minHow To Choose Your Word of the YearWhen I was a young girl, I had the New Year’s resolution every year of reading through the Bible. On January 1, I would read 40 chapters...
-Dec 24, 20212 minThe Largest Candle of AllI will light my very last candle this morning. The largest one of all. The Christ Candle. The time has come. I’m very glad to do it. Just...
-Dec 22, 20212 minHeavy and UncomfortableNot sure about you, but the last month of pregnancy was just the worst. Well-meaning people asking, “are you still here?” Babies sitting...
-Dec 19, 20212 minLONG. SLOW. DEEP.Breathe. Just breathe. Long. Slow. Deep. Breathe. Words said to me over and over again with every single contraction I had as I labored...
-Dec 16, 20212 minUNDER PRESSUREI started to feel it a few weeks ago. You probably did too. The fancy Christmas pressure. Make it magical. Keep it simple. Be present....
-Dec 12, 20212 minKITCHENS AND THE HOWL OF THE NOT-YETThe past several months have been marked by much suffering. The pain can be overwhelming. Substance abuse by those we love. Every kind of...
-Dec 9, 20212 minTHE MOM THINGWhat is in this little brown bag? If I showed you, it probably wouldn’t mean anything to you. In fact, you might be like, “Who cares? So...
-Dec 5, 20212 minALL WE ARE SAYING IS...GIVE PEACE A CHANCE. The mantra sung and chanted and begged for in 1969. 1969. War rages and protests break out all over. Charles Manson...
-Dec 1, 20213 minPARENTING (the constant return to Advent)“Advent is for the ones who know longing.” (Sarah Bessey) “Tis the Season.” (Mom utters with eyes rolling while corralling child hyped up...
-Nov 28, 20212 minI LIT A CANDLE THIS MORNINGI lit a candle this morning. For the first time. Not just any candle. The candle of Hope on this first day, this first Sunday of Advent....
Esther GoetzNov 5, 20213 minUntaming Our Kids (and Ourselves in the Process)“Are we going to see the wild horses?” my not-yet-college-bound, have-to-be-dragged-everywhere, youngest asked. “You promised.” We were...