Welcome to the Restored and Rooted blog. I’m Elizabeth. I’ve loved words all my life. I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t reading and being shaped by the power of words. I’m also a lover of the Word, Jesus Christ, who shapes us by His power.
In addition to being both a word nerd and a God’s-Word girl, I’ve written and edited for many years. I've also taught in different arenas: in Bible studies and Sunday school classes; in high school English and theater classrooms; and as a homeschool mom to two nearly grown sons.
The place where my teacher heart and my love-of-Jesus heart intersect is in the joy of discipleship ministry. For decades, I have been honored to walk alongside people both younger and older, helping them see the love of Jesus and growing in their trust of Him.
For many years, I dreamed of merging my writing heart with my discipleship heart… to create a space like the one you are currently visiting: a space where stories, Scripture, and support are woven together to strengthen and deepen your relationship with Jesus. Sometimes, a bit of cowardly lion in me couldn’t quite find the courage to take steps into the unknown. Other times, God gave me a told me to wait when I prayed about moving forward.
Then, in November of 2023, God said very clearly to me, “It’s time to get your stories out there.” I told Him yes, but I also told Him I had no idea how to do that. He would have to show me the way.
And He has.
So here we are, at the Restored and Rooted blog. The name is derived from some favorite verses from a favorite book in the Bible:
“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)
I know the terrain of longing for more rootedness in God, for more restoration in my broken places, for more trust in Him, and for more joy in my journey through life. With grace and patience for my sometimes slow learning, God continues to faithfully meet me in those places and more.
I want you to experience that for yourself.
Here you will find stories and support to help you be both restored in Christ and rooted in Him. You will find encouragement pointing you to the abundant life that is ours in Christ Jesus (see John 10:10). You will find truth and tools from God’s Word to help equip you for a deeper walk with the Lord.
Most of my blog posts have one of two flavors—some are centered around a specific verse, others are more thematic. These are the truth part of this blog. Also sprinkled throughout my writing are tools—suggestions and steps for how you can practice His presence in your every day life.
I sort of have two flavors, too—I love the quirky way God shows up in the mundane and everyday of my life, and I write about that a good bit. He speaks to me through metaphor and analogies, some of them quite humorous (like through warts or my own paranoia).
But I was raised by two educators, grew up in a college town, and have a deeply academic bent—especially when it comes to studying God’s Word. So you’re also likely to stumble across word study posts or some philosophical musings here and there, too (like you'll find here or here).
Sometimes the quirky and the studious show up together all in one blog! Regardless of flavor, through each post, I pray you will find encouragement, hope, and more of Him.
Currently, you’ll find on the blog some writings from previous editions of my newsletter and from older social media posts. Browse around and you’ll get a feel for what you can expect to find here regularly.
In the coming days I’ll add new content at least every other week, perhaps more frequently. There are other resources around the website as well. I’ve recently released a Bible Study on Isaiah 30, and I’m currently at work on a 30 Day-devotional on identity in Christ.
So I hope you’ll come back and visit often.
Welcome to Restored and Rooted, where I pray you will find more of Him.