Category: Blog Post

Certain in September: Five Minutes of Faith
By Madeleine Hagan

Certain in September: Five Minutes of Faith

The academic year has restarted and the temperature outside is dropping. The trees are standing in front of their wardrobes, taking their sweet time deciding what to wear to the party, but when they arrive, everyone’s jaws will drop. Whether or not your calendar still revolves around the academic year, change is knocking on the door. We were designed for rhythm and change. Rhythm teaches us the importance of steady, repetitive disciplines, while change keeps us from getting set too deeply in ruts of bad habit and complacency. Continue reading →

When Divinity Brushes Against the Texture of the Ordinary
By Madeleine Hagan

When Divinity Brushes Against the Texture of the Ordinary

I was stunned to silence a few days ago by the weirdest thought. I just started this book called Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren, and by “just started” I mean I got all of three pages into the first chapter and read this:

“But after hearing about Jesus’ birth and a brief story about his boyhood, we find him again as a grown man at the banks of the Jordan. He’s one in the crowd, squinting in the sun, sand gritty between his toes. The one who is worthy of worship, glory, and fanfare spent decades in obscurity and ordinariness.” Continue reading →

On Reading Of Enchanted Woods
By Madeleine Hagan

On Reading Of Enchanted Woods

“He does not despise real woods because he has read of enchanted woods; the reading makes all real woods a little enchanted.”
― C.S. Lewis

As I write this I’m sitting in the middle of it. I finished a book this morning and returned it to its home on the library shelf hesitantly. Not wanting to let go of it just yet. There was magic within the pages and castle towers, ancient tombs, and trees swollen with corruption and madness. Bravery, deception, foolishness, and perseverance were there as well. Continue reading →

Delectables: Round #1
By Madeleine Hagan

Delectables: Round #1

DELECTABLES: Cherry-Picked for Wonder and Revitalization. Soul Food and Spa. A Breath of Fresh Air with vitamins and other thought-provoking nourishment.

This begins a new series I’m calling Delectables. They are a collection of what I am absolutely loving right now. Bookmarks I’ve saved in the notes on my phone. Random blog posts I’ve stumbled upon that made my day brighter. Music that echoes my own heart. Books I’ve recently finished. And more! Continue reading →

Tea Towels and Being Wonder-Full
By Madeleine Hagan

Tea Towels and Being Wonder-Full

And there I am. Hot tea spilling over the counter and beneath the scanning thingy and I’m on the phone with a lady who’s asking me to do something that could very easily be done online herself, and I have to pause. The curly phone cord stretches as I reach for the blessed roll of paper towels kept on the bottom shelf of the desk, and by the time I stand back up with a wad of them in my hand, the tea puddle is inching even closer to the computer. Continue reading →

Getting It Wrong (I Am Still Learning – Part Two)
By Madeleine Hagan

Getting It Wrong (I Am Still Learning – Part Two)

“Ancora imparo (I am still learning).” -Michelangelo, Age 87

If you have been reading along, my previous post introduces something I’ve been spinning around like a funky Rubik’s cube in my head since the beginning of this year. (See previous post here for part one: “Sponge Talk: I Am Still Learning – Part One“) Here’s the continuation. Continue reading →

Sponge Talk (I Am Still Learning – Part One)
By Madeleine Hagan

Sponge Talk (I Am Still Learning – Part One)

“Ancora imparo (I am still learning).” -Michelangelo, Age 87

2019 is well underway and I’ve spent weeks trying to come up with new blog topics. It happens way more often than I’d like to admit. I sit and think for days on end about what I haven’t written about yet, what would be interesting for people to read about, and what would be super relevant. Continue reading →

Spending the Weekend in Nashville, Tennessee
By Madeleine Hagan

Spending the Weekend in Nashville, Tennessee

One of my favorite texts I could possibly receive goes something like this: Are you free this weekend for a road trip?

So you can imagine my delight when that very message popped up on my phone from some dear friends on mine from high school. Since all three of us live in different states and have very different work schedules, it’s pretty rare that we all have a free weekend at the same time (in this case it was MLK day on the Monday) so this was not to be missed. Continue reading →

“I’m Too Busy” and Other Excuses I’m Ditching
By Madeleine Hagan

“I’m Too Busy” and Other Excuses I’m Ditching

Every New Year’s Eve, or perhaps even just December in general, lots of people come up with these things called resolutions. Things they want to change in the upcoming year. While I don’t really feel the need to call them resolutions, I love the idea of reflecting back on things that went really wrong and not settling for keeping those around another year. Continue reading →