Author: Nicole Clark

The people felt battered, and understandably so. The siege on their city had been disastrous. For 18 months, an imposing army had tightened a noose around them. As their food rations dwindled, so did their strength. Once starvation set in, the land forces moved in. The attack bloodied the captives’ bodies and souls. Some survivors … Continue reading Love Letter

Only a single piece of evidence was permitted in this unholy courthouse. This courthouse where one individual set up himself as judge, jury, and executioner. And then, upon seeing the actions of this one individual, a second mortal soul did likewise. And another and another until the entire courthouse filled with blasphemous benches and tainted … Continue reading Grace By Association

I am somewhere between point A and point B. In transition. A moving of the heart from Egypt to new land. But instead of shuffling through a scorching desert, it feels like I’m stumbling through a dense forest. A cloud by day to guide me will do me no good. I cannot see the sky. … Continue reading 5 Things To Know When You’re In The Forest

For those of us practically born and literally raised in the church, certain verses have been worn so smooth in our minds that like the old church pew in my mom’s foyer, everything just slides off. When the pastor reads John 3:16, my mind slides into neutral. What was once fresh is now familiar….too familiar. … Continue reading The Only List That Matters

“Soil activation.” That’s what the lady at the local garden shop says our winter-worn ground needs. The dry winds of the cold season have left our lawn thin and soulless. One more week of droughty, windy weather and our hope for springtime renewal will be all but blown away. My nose wrinkles and my eyes … Continue reading Be Sure To Water It In

Rejection is bad—through and through—or so I thought. When we are cast aside, dismissed, and overlooked, it cuts—deep and wide. The benefits of betrayal? None. The upsides of being downtrodden? Zero. The advantages of being abandoned? Seriously!? And then along comes this honest-to-goodness, 21st-century shepherd who completely upended my perspective on this: Healing Father, may … Continue reading The Acceptance Found In Rejection

He had never seen a river before, this Mole in “The Wind in the Willows.” “He thought his happiness was complete when, as he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river. Never in his life had he seen a river before—this sleek, sinuous, full-bodied animal, chasing and chuckling, gripping … Continue reading Listening To The River

  My friend leaving on vacation asks for my prayer requests. I am flattened. She wants me to write on an index card the desires of my heart, along with the other requests she is collecting, so that she may lift them heavenward each day of her get-away. On her trip she will talk with … Continue reading A Prayer Gift

This is the first Psalm I wrote out in my own words as a prayer back to God. In the middle of a night over the Christmas holiday I started to write out just the first three verses of Psalm 40. An hour later, the whole Psalm had spilt out. I found Micha Boyett’s reflection to … Continue reading Psalm 40: In My Own Words