It’s September and autumn has definitely come to the Chicago area. The weather is getting chillier, the days are growing shorter, and kids have returned to school. Personally, I mourn the end of summer. However, I know that many look forward to the change from summer to fall. Whether you enjoy it or not, for most, the transition from fall to summer brings a certain change in the rhythm of life. The barbecues are winding down and summer travel is drawing to a close. Life just changes in the fall. My church takes advantage of this transitional time of year. We re-launch our small groups, groups ..read more

There are many ways I can answer this, but mostly I have been in my car. In July of 2015, I started a new job. The job itself takes time, but the big thing is the commute. In the best traffic it takes an hour to get to work. Getting home takes even longer. So I spend hours each day in my car. That’s where I’ve been. But, oh, have I missed my blog. Things away from the blog are going along slowly. I did complete my second novel, but upon reading it I realized that it doesn’t accomplish the goal I had in mind. It will need heavy revision and this will most likely take a while, but it will be a m ..read more

I just preached my second sermon!  (Crazy, right?) My text was Luke 19:1-10, the story of Zacchaeus. In this passage we have the story of the rich guy that everybody loves to hate. He’s a tax collector who’s making himself rich at his neighbors’ expense. He gouged them on their taxes and had grown very rich doing so. Well, one day Jesus comes to Jericho, where Zacchaeus lives. Jesus had just healed a blind man, Bartimaeus, and there was a crowd of people surrounding him. Zacchaeus had heard about Jesus and he wanted to go see him. He determined that seeing Jesus was more important than wh ..read more

After a long and brutal winter, spring has finally come to Chicago. The weather is warming up and I am starting to get my summer wardrobe in order. I have to address wardrobe because many of my things from last year are in bad condition. They need to be thrown out. I just haven’t taken the step of purging them yet. I also want to do a better job with my appearance. Lately, I just feel like I look like a bum every day. I want to present a better image of myself so I have decided to get some key pieces into my wardrobe. I had to go shopping, something I haven’t done in a long while. It felt weir ..read more

Hello, my name is CaReese and I am the person that writes this blog. I almost feel like I need to reintroduce myself since I have been absent for so long. I have been absent for good reasons. I am well. I am in good health. My family is in good health. These are the most important things. So what have I been up to the last three months: Novel Writing – I have finished my second draft of my first novel and I am just starting to edit my second novel. This gives me great joy and excitement. Seriously, I can hardly sleep at night. I am looking to have my novel in the hands of beta readers soon and ..read more

This Christmas has snuck up on me. I have had a very busy fall: working more than usual, writing (and finishing!) my second novel, and taking on new leadership at church. I feel like I haven’t really had time to reflect on Christmas and the hope that the season brings. I am currently reading a book, Touching Wonder by John Blase, that includes the story of Christ’s birth from the Message translation along with some dramatized passages written from various perspectives. It’s a short read; only 69 pages. It’s a powerful short read though. The Christmas story is truly extraordinary and sometimes ..read more

Today is the official beginning of autumn. There is just something special about the fall, isn’t there? School starts. The weather gets cooler. The leaves change colors. People seem to transition mentally from the carefree days of summer to a more focused mindset as we look toward the end of the year. Fall seems to be a time of change inside and out. Fall is also a time of simple pleasures. It’s time for warm hoodies and hot drinks. Apples, squash, and pumpkins are in season. It’s time for bolder colors and cute boots. It is a time of change, and change is good. For many reasons I believe that ..read more

I am a minimalist but I still have a small bit of fashionista in me. The fashionista in me likes to change handbags for different seasons. So today I moved into my fall handbag. It’s black. It’s sleek. It’s sexy. And it’s small. Now, I don’t want to give the impression that I moved into a wristlet. It is a full size handbag. It’s just half the size of the one I had been carrying. I hadn’t been carrying it because it was too small for me to fit all my stuff. But I faced a choice: let this tres chic handbag go to waste or stop carrying so much crap. I took a hard look at what I really need on a ..read more

I recently wrote a post about getting the most out of your weekend. Weekends are like gold. They’re a chance to relax and recharge. They can also be a chance to do things like home projects, visit family, or catch up on reading. In all the activity it is easy to let the precious weekend slip by without getting any rest. That’s where the Sabbath comes in. It is a period that is set aside for rest, refreshment, and reflection. Our word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word Shabbat, which means “to cease.” The Sabbath began as a period of rest. When creating the world God worked six days and rested ..read more

Just a quick thought this afternoon. This afternoon finds me on sitting on my balcony looking at the sunny beach in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. This is my family’s fourth year here and each year has been different. This year, I’m a little busier because I am doing Camp NaNoWiMo, where I am writing the first 50,000 words of my next novel in 31 days. That’s my only planned activity every day. The rest of the day is mine to relax. This afternoon I am inspired by the people of Playa del Carmen. We see a lot of fellow tourists on the beach but we also see just as many locals on the beach. Their lives ..read more