Ponderings

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About us

Welcome to The Pondering Place—where faith meets daily life, and where we explore how our minds shape our spiritual journey.

This blog is dedicated to examining the intersection of Christian principles and cognitive psychology, offering a unique perspective on how to navigate life with both wisdom and understanding.

Here, we believe that our thoughts profoundly influence our actions and behaviors. By understanding how we perceive, reason, and make decisions, we can learn to reframe our thoughts and align them with God’s teachings. This kind of alignment doesn’t just lead to better choices—it fosters a life rooted in humility, gratitude, and love, just as Jesus modeled.

We’ll draw on the wisdom of scriptures like Proverbs 3:5–6 and the tools of cognitive behavioral science. For example, James 1:2–4 reminds us to view trials as growth opportunities—a principle that resonates with the concept of cognitive reframing, which shifts our focus from discomfort to development.

Whether you’re:

  • Facing a hard decision,
  • Seeking comfort in uncertainty,
  • Or simply curious how the brain and spirit work together—

The Pondering Place is here to support you.

Let’s ponder life’s questions together, learn from one another, and embrace a journey of faith informed by a mind renewed through truth and transformation.

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” —Romans 12:2

With joy and curiosity,
Christine ViPond

Featured post

Glimpses of Heaven in a Fractured World

It’s December 30, 2025—the end of another year—and I’m finally sitting down to write again. The silence here on the blog has stretched longer than I intended. Grief has a way of doing that. When we lost Charlie—yes, Charlie Kirk, that fiery voice of conviction and faith who meant so much to so many of us—it hit like a thunderclap. His sudden passing shook me deeply. I needed time to process, to pray, to let the shock settle into sorrow and then, slowly, into gratitude for the light he carried. I’m still grieving, but I’m also ready to pick up the pen (or keyboard) again, because hope doesn’t pause for our pain.

In the wake of such loss, what sustains me are those fleeting but unmistakable glimpses of Heaven that touch our heart and confirm the Love of God. In a culture that often feels like it’s unraveling—division shouted from every screen, cynicism masquerading as wisdom—there are still these moments that stop you in your tracks and make you think, “Oh Lord, how great are Your works.”

I see it when a young person stands up boldly for truth, even when it costs them friends or followers—like Charlie himself did, time and time again. I see it in small acts too: the stranger who pays for the coffee of the person behind them in line, the family that quietly adopts a child no one else wanted, the neighbor who shovels an elderly widow’s driveway before she even wakes up. These aren’t just good works. They’re previews. Little foretastes of the day when every tear is wiped away, when justice rolls down like waters, and when love isn’t the exception but the air we breathe.

Charlie Kirk spent his life pointing toward that deeper reality—that freedom is a gift from God, that courage isn’t the absence of fear but the refusal to bow to it. And even now, in his absence, the hope he defended feels more vivid. Because hope isn’t rooted in any one person—it’s rooted in the One who conquered death itself.

Stepping into the New Year, I am choosing to lean into that hope. Not the flimsy, wishful kind, but the stubborn, eyes-wide-open kind that says: even here, even now, Heaven is nearer than we think. We get to participate in it every time we choose kindness over contempt, truth over convenience, forgiveness over resentment.

So tell me—what glimpse of Heaven have you caught lately? A moment of unexpected grace? A conversation that restored your faith in people? Share it below. Let’s remind each other that the light is still breaking through.

With a heart that’s healing and still fiercely hopeful,

Christine

Good Grief.

I’ve moved through my storm of anger. It burned hot, it felt righteous, it gave me the energy to rail against the injustice, the confusion, and the horrible loss of Charlie Kirk. But anger—left unchecked—will eat you alive. So often, anger is a mask for what lies beneath: fear, helplessness, grief.

But here’s the truth: We are not helpless. We do not need to fear. We are grieving.

Paul reminds us: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26). Anger is a signal from God and in His wisdom He warns us not to camp there.

In time, we will each move toward acceptance. Not resignation—acceptance. Acceptance is freedom. Jesus modeled this in Gethsemane when He prayed, “Not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). That was not passive surrender. It was the hardest acceptance imaginable.

So if you’re caught in anger right now, let yourself name it. Feel it. Then ask: What lies beneath? Fear? Loss? Grief? When we bring those roots into the light, we are already stepping toward acceptance. And in acceptance, we find room to breathe, room to forgive, room to heal—and the strength to move forward.

That’s how we carry on the work Charlie started; and like Charlie, we follow the call of Jesus.

Pick up the banner and carry it forward

There are times when the world grows quieter and my heart hurts and my mind is angry, not because it should, but because a voice has been silenced. That silence aches. It leaves me asking, who will speak now?

Charlie Kirk spoke with courage and clarity, but also with grace. He didn’t shy away from truth when it cost something. And truth always costs something. Scripture reminds us: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). That freedom doesn’t come from soft words or easy compromise. It comes from courage wrapped in grace.

When a banner falls, it is not meant to touch the ground. It is meant to be caught, lifted, carried forward. For the next generation of young conservatives, that is the charge. Don’t simply repeat what has been said, live it.  Don’t let fear steal your voice—season it with grace. “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:6).

This moment calls for steady hands and brave hearts. To carry the banner is to stand in the tension of truth and love, never letting one cancel out the other. Violence can take a life, but it cannot steal a legacy if those who remain choose to walk it out with strength and honor.

So pick it up. Carry it forward. With truth. With grace. With courage. With love.

A Rough Morning

I make my own cold brew coffee in a Toddy System, and I love it—except when I drain the last pitcher and procrastinate making a new one. Then morning comes, and there’s no cold brew waiting for me. I hate these mornings.

So here I am, wishing someone would magically hand me an ice-brewed coffee, while realizing my entire day is about to feel askew.

Could I make a cup of hot coffee? Of course. But with the humidity sitting at 98%, my skin was weeping before I even brushed my teeth. Hot coffee? I think not.

Could I brew a hot cup and pour it over ice? Sure—but then I’m sipping watery coffee, ew. Maybe I should drink a hot cup in an ice-cold shower? Hmm. See how ridiculous this obsession becomes?

Or—I could actually get out of my pajamas, get in the van, drive one mile to my favorite shop, and buy a cup. They make a delicious iced brew… but it sets me back $8 (with tip). Just coffee. No flavoring, no sugar, no cream. WTH.

Sigh. I’ll just grab a bottle of water and drink it like a good girl. So, if you talk to me today, please lower your expectations…

My Brain’s New Tenant

Recently my mornings feel like I spent the night front row at a rock concert with several shots of tequila. I promise you, I have not. And yet my brain hurts just the same.

Meet the newest thing in my life: Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH). I swear they make this stuff up. Basically, it means: “We don’t know why, but your brain is building up too much pressure inside your skull.”

Let me try to explain how it feels: it’s as if a hormonal teenager moved into my head and is blasting vintage Metallica. Or, you know, that piercing sound that makes all moms wince—a toddler having a tantrum in a store aisle. That’s the feeling.

I didn’t invite this monster into my skull, but here IIH is. It’s absurd. And since crying only makes it hurt more, I’ll laugh. No angry teen or bratty toddler is going to break my will. I’ll fight, I’ll live, and I’ll keep laughing in the face of pain—because wit and chutzpah can outsmart anything life throws my way.

Remember: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

Some days, the best we can do is simply exist.

The to-do lists sit untouched, conversations feel too costly, and the world seems to demand more than we can give.

But still, we breathe.
Still, we are here.
Still, the sun moves across the sky—slowly, faithfully—whether we watch it or not.

Maybe the work of today isn’t accomplishing or producing.
Maybe it’s letting the soul rest, trusting that rest itself is holy.
Even the earth has its seasons of stillness before the green returns.

So if today feels like too much, remember: you are not failing for needing a pause.
You are simply honoring the truth that even the strongest hearts need quiet to keep beating.

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28
Today, let’s lay down the weight we’re carrying and lean into the arms of the One who never grows weary.

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