The Blog | Hold Loosely, Live Freely

Steady To Slow And Savor Our King

by Kirstin Ricketts | Dec 18, 2019 | Faith Matters, Home Sweet Home, The Blog

My sister came over to pick up gingerbread houses. As we discussed if we had enough candy for the kids to decorate and why we didn’t buy the preassembled village, I watched my ten-year-old niece’s fingers glide over the figures in the manger scene piece by...

When People Are Mean

by Kirstin Ricketts | Dec 16, 2019 | All The Things, Faith Matters, The Blog

It’s the holidays, and you know, sometimes it’s not all sugar plum fairies and frosting. So what can you do when people are mean? You get to choose how you react and what you will do with the mess. There is freedom in realizing that you have a choice. Give...

If You Set An Empty Plate This Year

by Kirstin Ricketts | Dec 13, 2019 | All The Things, Home Sweet Home, The Blog

If you set an empty plate this year, God sees you in your pain and your grief. He sees you going to all of the celebrations without the person you love and trying to keep it together, trying to maintain normal for your people. He sees the hole in your heart that you...

12 Days of Christmas

by Melissa Cheatham | Dec 12, 2019 | Faith Matters, Family, The Blog

So not to alert anybody, but there are 12 days until Christmas. The main question I am asked this time of year is, “Are you ready for Christmas?” And my mind immediately goes to my unending to-do list of unwrapped gifts, Christmas cards not sent, groceries...

What To Do When God Gives You The Opposite of What You Ask For

by Kirstin Ricketts | Dec 11, 2019 | Faith Matters, The Blog

God can be trusted, I know He can…yet sometimes I can’t believe what seems to be happening around me. So what can we do when it just doesn’t make sense or when we are just plain disappointed? Maybe even when we wonder if God got this one wrong. Tell Him the...

The Thrill of Hope

by Melissa Cheatham | Dec 10, 2019 | Faith Matters, The Blog

I have seen the words “The Thrill of Hope” singled out on coffee mugs and home decor quite a bit this year, and the words have continued to resonate in my mind. The word “Hope” brings out different feelings in all of us, especially this time of year. Many...