Sondra Kraak https://sondrakraak.com/ Trails of Love and Grace Mon, 14 Mar 2016 14:13:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 From Fig Leaves to a Robe of Righteousness https://sondrakraak.com/from-fig-leaves-to-a-robe-of-righteousness/ Mon, 14 Mar 2016 14:13:36 +0000 https://sondrakraak.com/?p=1717 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, […]

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]]> The Year of Fruitful: When God Gives You a Word and You Didn’t Ask https://sondrakraak.com/the-year-of-fruitful-when-god-gives-you-a-word-and-you-didnt-ask/ https://sondrakraak.com/the-year-of-fruitful-when-god-gives-you-a-word-and-you-didnt-ask/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2016 14:34:51 +0000 https://sondrakraak.com/?p=1695 Choosing a word of the year is all the rage. But it’s not me. It’s not how I think, plan. I don’t like to do things because others are doing them. I don’t want to label myself with a word, forget about it, and live out the year. But a word came anyway, despite my objection […]

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]]> https://sondrakraak.com/the-year-of-fruitful-when-god-gives-you-a-word-and-you-didnt-ask/feed/ 1 When the New Year is More Stale than New https://sondrakraak.com/when-the-new-year-is-more-stale-than-new/ Fri, 08 Jan 2016 14:26:49 +0000 https://sondrakraak.com/?p=1691 Stale popcorn–something nobody wants to eat (except me, much to my husband’s chagrin, but forget about that since it doesn’t fit with the analogy). Stale popcorn is the epitome of food that has lost its pizzazz. It’s almost chewy (yum), and feels a bit dead in your mouth. Like all foods past their prime, stale popcorn deserves the […]

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]]> The Glitches in the Christmas Story https://sondrakraak.com/the-glitches-in-the-christmas-story/ https://sondrakraak.com/the-glitches-in-the-christmas-story/#comments Sat, 19 Dec 2015 03:32:11 +0000 https://sondrakraak.com/?p=1685 After five years of helping lead the children’s Christmas pageant, I’ve seen a few miscues, heard a few mispronounced words that make a person fall out of her seat laughing, and endured a few chaotic rehearsals that rival The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Perhaps my favorite incident was when the angels forgot to appear. And […]

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]]> https://sondrakraak.com/the-glitches-in-the-christmas-story/feed/ 2 The Long Journey of Advent and the Rest at the End https://sondrakraak.com/the-long-journey-of-advent-and-the-rest-at-the-end/ Fri, 04 Dec 2015 02:08:49 +0000 https://sondrakraak.com/?p=1671 A journey eighty miles long and a load that grows larger each day. Sticks gouging sandaled feet. Blisters, hunger, and dust. More dust. Then rain. And mud. Strangers with stares that threaten peace of mind and lead to one-eye-open sleep. Hard ground beneath and the sky as a blanket. After such an journey, the walls […]

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]]> What We Really Need https://sondrakraak.com/what-we-really-need/ Mon, 16 Nov 2015 15:09:44 +0000 https://sondrakraak.com/?p=1654 Sometimes we don’t know what to do, and we pray for discernment. Other times, we pray for discernment, but it’s an excuse. We already know what to do, but we lack the courage to do it. That was the issue with my hero in One Plus One Equals Trouble. He had a decision to make, […]

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]]> 5 Scripture Verses for Those Who Strive https://sondrakraak.com/5-scripture-verses-for-those-who-strive/ Thu, 22 Oct 2015 21:07:28 +0000 https://sondrakraak.wordpress.com/?p=1619 Is it just me, or have we made striving a virtue? We admire those who overachieve, who rise above expectations because of sweat and diligence. It seems like the harder a person pushes toward perfectionism, the more she’s admired. We call it a good work ethic. Wrong. We’ve taken a good thing–hard work–and warped it into over-work. […]

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]]> It’s Time to Fall Again https://sondrakraak.com/its-time-to-fall-again/ Fri, 09 Oct 2015 14:13:12 +0000 https://sondrakraak.wordpress.com/?p=1603 Fall. My favorite season. I close the windows of summer and bask in the new quietness of the inside. The spicy aroma of cinnamon, apples, and cloves overcomes the sweet fragrances of snapdragons, lilies, and roses. Nature walks lead to pockets full of pine cones, acorn hats, and seed pods. Tree limbs bow, yielding to […]

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]]> Steadfast https://sondrakraak.com/steadfast/ Fri, 25 Sep 2015 14:01:53 +0000 https://sondrakraak.wordpress.com/?p=1587 I woke up this morning praying for encouragement in a sort of desperate, oh my do I have to get out of bed, way. And quickly repented. I didn’t need encouragement. I needed Presence. Him. The Godhead. I needed more than blessings. I needed the Source. Then I read this, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be […]

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]]> Numbering Our Days https://sondrakraak.com/numbering-our-days/ Fri, 18 Sep 2015 15:42:18 +0000 https://sondrakraak.wordpress.com/?p=1562 1 Chronicles 1 and 2 The descendants of Adam were Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,  Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah. The sons of Noah were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The descendants of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The descendants of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. The descendants of Javan […]

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