Top 5 Summer Picks: Lauren Daigle, Christine Caine, Annie F. Downs, Chris Steinke & The Bible

Summer might be half over for some people, but I still want to post this list of recommendations for CDs and books that I have been blessed by and hope will bless you as well! Lauren Daigle: Look Up Child (plus you can see her at Lollapalooza 2019) Lauren Daigle is the 2019 Billboard Top Christian Artist,… Continue reading Top 5 Summer Picks: Lauren Daigle, Christine Caine, Annie F. Downs, Chris Steinke & The Bible

Three Great Summer Reads: God’s Love, Beth Moore, and the Bible

It’s almost summertime, and that means we will have many lazy dog days to fill hours upon hours with pages upon pages of reading, right? In a perfect world, yes, that would be the case! However, because the hours of our days are limited, we probably don’t have a ton of time to filter through… Continue reading Three Great Summer Reads: God’s Love, Beth Moore, and the Bible

Why Jesus is Beautiful to Me (in the words of Christian music artists)

This post has been written as a belated part of ChicagoNow’s “Blogapalooz-Hour: Volume XXX.” A flood of posts went live last night at 10 p.m. sharp, as a “Blogapalooz-Hour” is a blitz to publish a post in 60 minutes or less, but I am a little late to the party. The reason I’m contributing a… Continue reading Why Jesus is Beautiful to Me (in the words of Christian music artists)

Blind Surfer Derek Rabelo Conquers Waves Fearlessly

Derek Rabelo’s father prayed that his son would be a professional surfer. But Derek was born blind in 1992, and his father’s dream seemed impossible. Seventeen years later, however, Derek decided that not only did he want to surf — he wanted to surf the legendary waves on the North Shore of Oahu. Derek’s courage… Continue reading Blind Surfer Derek Rabelo Conquers Waves Fearlessly

Falling Plates: when death is just a memory

by Maria Krump, guest writer What if it is true? What if, all of a sudden, you find yourself…THERE. On eternity’s shore. But your feet don’t really know where “there” is, do they? They want to. And they keep aching for firm ground, for something, anything to land on, to find that footing and balance… Continue reading Falling Plates: when death is just a memory

How have I survived 23 years as a twin?

My twin sister left me today. She’s headed back to the sunny shores of SoCal where she will enroll as a 2L at Pepperdine Law School after completing a summer externship in Chicago with a federal district court judge in the Loop, and I’m left here, in my empty studio apartment alone, not sure when… Continue reading How have I survived 23 years as a twin?

Why I pray for Katy Perry & Britney Spears

The reason I became a journalist passionate about arts and entertainment writing is because of Rolling Stone’s 2008 cover story. It’s called “Britney Spears: Inside an American Tragedy,” and it completely changed my life. The explicit details about her coming of age in a liberal, materialistic culture, and publicly crashing and burning as a result,… Continue reading Why I pray for Katy Perry & Britney Spears

Experiencing Chicago’s Disney Princess Audition

Wednesday morning, my friend and I auditioned to be Disney Princesses. “Remember – you are all beautiful! But also remember, we are looking for very specific roles to be filled. We want the fantasy to be consistent for all of our guests.” These words echoed off the walls of the Hubbard Street Dance Studio in… Continue reading Experiencing Chicago’s Disney Princess Audition

The miracle of motivation: just do it

Motivation. We have choices to make every day. I don’t know about you, but I’m a dreamer. I tend to think about and dream up the best possible scenario in every situation and walk of life, but then often find myself sitting around, dreaming my life away from the comfort of my studio apartment. It’s… Continue reading The miracle of motivation: just do it