Jessica McCarty, Author

 "The wind blows where it chooses . . ." John 3:8a (NRSVCE) This verse came to mind when I was in the grocery store yesterday. It's funny how often I feel like the Lord is speaking something when I'm getting groceries. It makes me wonder if He's like, "I know this isn't your favorite. Let Me keep you company." After I'd finished running my errands, I was flipping through the radio stations. I'm incredibly picky when it comes to music. I finally landed on a station playing "Let It Go" by James Bay. There was a line that really grabbed me. "Everything that's broke, leave it to the breeze." Whatever you're dealing with today, leave that business to the Breeze. What I've been reading . . . Praying with Jane  by Rachel Dodge Nonfiction The author takes three prayers written by Jane Austen and breaks them down into a three section, thirty-day devotional. To Love a Viking by Heather Day Gilbert & Jen Cudmore Tavla...

 "Hulk smash!" --The Incredible Hulk On Father's Day, my family gathered together at my parent's house for a cookout. The kitchen door opened repeatedly as people arrived. One person caught both my and my husband's attention. My three-year-old nephew was wearing an Incredible Hulk mask. We were torn between laughing and feeling slightly uncomfortable as he stared us down, mean mugging and unblinking. J is his own brand of awesome. I may be biased, but I think all my nieces and nephews are. Lately, I've been feeling particularly thankful for my siblings and their littles. I'm amazed at how personalities can shine through such tiny people in big ways.💚I want them to embrace every beautiful part of themselves, to discover and grow and flourish. Too often we get disconnected from those parts of ourselves. Take some time today and think about the things that made you happy when you were a child. Was it painting? Did you love to climb trees? Were you the person...

"Nice! I did it!" I have had this quote in my head ever since I saw the cutest Tik Tok video while tapping through stories on Instagram. An adorable little girl proceeds to go down a slide and not very gracefully! She reaches the bottom of the slide headfirst, barely catching herself on her hands. Then she joyfully announces, "Nice! I did it!" I watched this video over and over, chuckling every time. But I was also struck by the fact that not only was she right, she did go down the slide, but it didn't matter what it looked like to her. She'd done it! A couple of weeks ago, my sweet sister graduated from law school. There were multiple moves, juggling home life and studying, not to mention figuring out how to handle her and her daughter's online school during lockdowns. I'm sure there were times when she felt like she was going down a slide headfirst. But when she reached the end, she'd done it! And let me tell you, she was absolutely glowing on ...

Normally, I like to start the blog with something that's been on my mind or heart. But this time around, I didn't really have anything to share. This bothered me a bit until I realized I still hadn't posted a poem I recently discovered in a library book. And it's absolutely ponder-worthy! "We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes-- This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, And mouth with myriad subtleties. Why should the world be over-wise, In counting all our tears and sighs? Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask. We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile; But let the world dream otherwise, We wear the mask! What I've been reading . . . Thorn  by Intisar Khanani YA Fantasy * The Winner's Curse (The Winner's trilogy, Bk. 1) * T...

 "Slow down. Take it in stride . . . Keeping me loose in a world wound tight." --Slow Down // Joel Ansett The last couple of weeks, I've been thinking about pace. It was first brought to my attention when I was reading John 2. In the beginning of the chapter, Jesus turns water into wine. Verse six says, "Now standing there were six stone water jars . . . each holding twenty or thirty gallons." (NRSVCE) That's anywhere from 120 to 180 gallons of water made into wine! Can you imagine being a servant and you and your companions getting over a hundred gallons of water from a well or nearby stream? Talk about working your muscles! But then the chapter moves on to the cleansing of the temple. Verse 15 says, "Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple . . ." (NRSVCE) Did you catch that? Making a whip. I think most of us read that scene and are struck by what happens after, as if Jesus got angry and lost it. But he took the time to make...

"Grandparents make the world a little softer, a little kinder, and a little warmer." --Unknown It's funny how often what I'm writing, life, and what's inspiring me seem to overlap. The manuscript I'm working on brings me back over and over to certain themes, one being family. What is family? Is it blood? Is it in the bonds we form with another? How deeply do those bonds integrate with who we are and become? Last month, I called my grandmother to wish her a happy birthday. I couldn't help smiling while I was on the phone with her. At one point, we were discussing the crazy state of the world. She said to me, "Just pray about it, Jessica. That's what I do." It calls to mind a verse in 2 Timothy, "I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also." (1:5, NIV) Today, I'm grateful for this legacy of faith and the reminder that every whi...

"A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky, unbidden, and seems like a thing of wonder." --Susan Orlean Are you getting snow where you are? We received fourteen inches of snow this week. Fourteen! What should have been a regular workweek turned into a few days off. Hubs dubbed me his "shovel buddy" as we had to go out regularly to shovel the drive. We wrestled a screen off an upstairs window so he could poke his head out and brush snow off the roof. My broom broke, but he got the job done.🤣We ate warm soup and homemade lemon oatmeal cookies and watched curling (his favorite Winter Olympic sport). And I had a breakthrough with a chapter that's been giving me some trouble. All in all, it was a pretty good week. What I've been reading . . . Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell Children's Re-read "Rontu . . . tell me why it is that you are such a handsome dog and yet such a thief." Mr. O'Dell was my favorite author as...