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Shanley McConnell
Sep 22, 20245 min read
What marriage taught me about "the best day of my life"
I heard it said that your wedding day is the best day of your life. But marriage is exquisite. It balances the whimsical nature of...
Shanley McConnell
Sep 20, 202411 min read
Mastering the commonplace: a conversation on work and rest
The sky feels almost translucent; from the window I watch a sunrise open its vast, blue wings to reveal a more heavenly scape. The...
Shanley McConnell
Sep 18, 20245 min read
For want of goodness
In the 10th century BC, a musician named Asaph reflected on the nature of his home in the world by reflecting on the nature of God. Where...
Sep 22, 20245 min read
What marriage taught me about "the best day of my life"
I heard it said that your wedding day is the best day of your life. But marriage is exquisite. It balances the whimsical nature of...
Sep 20, 202411 min read
Mastering the commonplace: a conversation on work and rest
The sky feels almost translucent; from the window I watch a sunrise open its vast, blue wings to reveal a more heavenly scape. The...
Sep 18, 20245 min read
For want of goodness
In the 10th century BC, a musician named Asaph reflected on the nature of his home in the world by reflecting on the nature of God. Where...
Sep 17, 20245 min read
Don't you know that home is an overflow of heart?
Back when the Old Testament was still being lived out, God designed sacred spaces for His people to meet with Him. First, God planted a...
Sep 7, 20244 min read
Wedding Reflection: Grief as a vine
I was twenty when my great grandmother died, twenty-two when my grandfather followed. I held my grandfather's hand in the hospital room...
Sep 3, 20242 min read
Ode to September
We begin the academic year with September. A month to learn and enjoy learning. To be inspired. This word "inspire" descends from the ...
Jul 30, 20246 min read
Wedding Reflection: The Engagement Season and Forever After
Joshua and I courted our wedding day like a beloved date. We bought flowers, chose a venue, confirmed decor and finalised details with...
Jul 3, 20245 min read
Wedding Reflections: 7 days until our wedding, a window-glimpse into our story
Let me describe my love to you. My love is a handsome man. Good, straight-forward, light on his feet, intelligent and full of wit. His...
Jun 28, 20243 min read
Wedding Reflections: 12 days before the wedding, our meet-cute and other notes
My fiancé and I met on the 4th of December 2022 in a historic chapel at the intersection of Shoreditch High Street and Hackney Road. The...
Jun 27, 20241 min read
Wedding Prayer
Blessed are you, Lord our God, who designed us to walk in unity with one other and with you. May our unity reflect the divine...
Jan 26, 20248 min read
Psalm 139
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way...
Feb 15, 20235 min read
Love is patient, part one
Let us not become weary in doing good, for we believe that in God's timing we will receive a harvest from our endurance. Wait patiently...
Feb 6, 20232 min read
The Monday Review, week twenty five
1. Brother of the More Famous Jack, Barbara Trapido This small, seemingly unassuming novel was recommended to me by a new friend in...
Jan 30, 20233 min read
The Monday Review, week twenty four
1. Dear Boy, Emily Berry I walked into old memories where I would visit the quiet, brightly-lit fourth floor of the Wellgate Library on...
Jan 29, 20232 min read
Prayer for faith
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 Holy and beloved God, You have been...
Jan 9, 20232 min read
Prayer for the new year
"Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession." Psalm 2: 7-8 Blessed God, your word is...
Jan 9, 20235 min read
The Monday Review, week thirty three
I read the five books reviewed below in early 2022. I thought I would upload them now, while working on a couple new posts for 2023. 1....
Nov 13, 20225 min read
Devotion: Deep & Gentle
The reason we know, and feel a great yearning, to open our hearts to others is because God opens his heart to us. In The Deeply Formed...
May 23, 20226 min read
The Monday Review, week thirty two
Would you pray with me? Blessed God, who brought our ancestors out of bondage in the Exodus, we ask that you continue to comfort and...
Apr 25, 20222 min read
Writerly Update & Published Works 2022
Hello, friends! 🌸 Here's a little writerly post to update on the wonderful publications that I'm blessed to have been part of this year....
Apr 4, 20222 min read
The Monday Review, week thirty one
~ ~ 1. Lean Your Loneliness Slowly Against Mine, Klara Hveberg Review published by the Courier. ~ 2. Pachinko, Min Jin Lee Min Jin Lee's...
Mar 21, 20223 min read
The Monday Review, week thirty
The Old Testament, wisdom book of Job follows the life of a man so completely devoted to God that even in the midst of weariness,...
Mar 7, 20223 min read
The Monday Review, week twenty nine
The biblical, historical book of Exodus documents the movement and flight of the Israelites on a journey from Egypt and into the...
Feb 28, 20222 min read
The Monday Review, week twenty eight
"And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing." Genesis 12:2 This...
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