Why You Don’t Have to Get Everything Right

by Holley Gerth | | 6 comments

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The air smells like sugar and cinnamon as I walk into my favorite bakery for a pie-making class. I am nervous about this new undertaking. (I once made ciabatta bread that turned out so badly that my dog, who gleefully eats unspeakable things in the backyard, spit it out on the kitchen floor.)

But my friend Melissa is the head baker here and she has promised to walk me through the process. So I stand with my classmates around a long wooden table. We’re each given a large silver bowl for mixing our ingredients. I add butter, shortening (the combination of both is the secret, Melissa says), salt, flour, and water a little bit at a time. I work

It’s Okay to Rest. You Have Nothing to Prove

by Holley Gerth | | 5 comments

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I open my eyes to a new day and it’s hard to resist rushing into it. I’m learning the power of pausing, inspired by the invitation found in Psalm 4:4. “Reflect in your heart while on your bed and be silent. Selah” The word “Selah” appears over seventy times in the book of Psalms, yet in many ways it remains a mystery because there is no English equivalent.

Author and worship pastor Jason Soroski says, “Many commentators think that Selah meant ‘to pause’ or ‘to reflect’. This could have been a request for the reader or listener to pause and think about what has just been said, or it could have been a space for voices to pause and for

We Need What You Have to Offer

by Holley Gerth | | no comments

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Years ago I attended a tea party in the Fellowship Hall of a small town church about an hour from my home. This is where my parents had their wedding reception, my grandparents had their fiftieth-anniversary party, and great-grandparents held hands in the pews.

On this day the tables are covered in white linen and each place setting includes a vintage china cup, the kind that tempts you to stick your pinky out when you drink from it. The hostesses of this gathering are the lovely members of my Grandma’s Sunday School class, most of whom are now in their eighties.

There is one guest who is a distinct exception to this age range. My granddaughter, Eula (named after my

One Question that Will Help You Love Well

by Holley Gerth | | 5 comments

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We’re celebrating love in happy ways this month. We’ll give each other heart-shaped balloons, cards with warm words, and boxes of chocolates. But what about the times when someone we love is in a hard place, not a happy one? What can we give then?

I’ll confess I’ve offered many unhelpful things to people I love through the years, like unwanted advice or spiritual clichés. But I’ve finally learned to ask one question that is actually a gift to someone who’s hurting.

I hear the tears in my friend’s voice. “I’m fine,” she says, “It’s no big deal.” She’s trying to stay strong but I know her well enough to sense her weariness. My first instinct is to try to

God Will Hold You Up

by Holley Gerth | | 3 comments

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When my granddaughter Eula was learning to walk, her steps were wobbly. She was all exuberance and no coordination. At the time, the laundry room was irresistibly enticing (something I knew she would outgrow).

I followed her into it one day and she became fascinated by a pair of rain boots. They were several sizes too big but she slid them onto her feet. She also insisted on wearing her bright pink coat. As she tromped around in her borrowed boots, I walked behind her holding the coat’s hood. When she stumbled, she didn’t hit the ground because I held her up. She carried on, not realizing someone was watching out for her, making sure she didn’t fall.

Walking with

Three Questions that Will Change Your Christmas Season

by Holley Gerth | | 8 comments

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I was standing in a chapel that’s over a hundred years old with a small candle in my hand. The tiny flame cast a soft light toward the bricks and stained-glass windows. A holy hush filled the room between Christmas carols and it felt as if my soul let out a sigh.

It had been a busy week, after all. There were trips to stores for last-minute gifts, delicious things to bake in the oven, dinner with friends where the topic of conversation turned to our plans for the new year. But in the silence and stillness of the Christmas Eve candlelight service, I realized I needed to catch my breath before I got to Christmas morning, before I