Welcome to The Redeemed Diaries
My diary of a redeemed life still being lived.
Jesus loved parables — stories rooted in soil, bread, seeds, coins, and everyday work. He didn’t separate faith from daily life; He braided them together. This new space is my attempt to do the same.
Several months ago, God told me to stop writing. I didn't want to but as the Holy Spirit pressed me further, I had no choice but to obey. (I stress the often said "I'm a sinner saved by grace" because man do I not like to obey ... frequently ...) I didn't understand why and I was heartbroken as I felt the community of writers that had grown up around the magazine I'd created was a good one.
I pouted and prayed and then the holidays hit and life reached fever pitch so my pen stayed still, my keyboard silent.
Then came a whisper ... "write"!
But before I could launch into an "I'm baaaaaack" post on the magazine, there was a subtext to the whisper.
"I do not want you to lead something. I want only that you write." To this day, I don't fully understand what that means or why, but I know I don't want to get sucked into viewer counts and "trending" this or that, so I am here. On my own. With my stories.
This is not a sanitized version of life and faith, so if you're easily scandalized I'll suggest this might not be the place for you.
This is for those of us that talk to the Lord throughout the day as one who sits next to us, causal conversation style ... and while we revere Him as the creator of the universe and all life ... have been known to give in to fits of shouting in anger at Him, have cried buckets of tears - the kind that come with snot trails on your shirt, and at other times been so delighted in Him we've laughed so hard we've peed.
This is my down to earth, living in a broken world, brain like a squirrel hopped up on caffeine, messy, hard won faith.
It's about living for the Lord amidst tea gone cold, cluttered counters, hauntingly large laundry piles, half-finished prayers, and oops, sorry Lord, I forgot what I was saying moments.
I want this to be a gentle reminder that God doesn't wait for us to clean everything up before He speaks.
Ordinary days can still carry holy meaning.
I don't know where this step of faith will lead, but I pray it encourages you, right where you are today! I pray that we can walk this road together, as the often unruly and loving, lively family of Christ.
I promise, as a recovering perfectionist I've learned that with Jesus, there's room for my bucket of crazy ... and there's definitely room for your mess too.
Welcome!