Author: Siv Ricketts

Hi, I'm Siv (pronounced "See-v") Ricketts, & I'm so glad you're here. In this space & on Instagram, I write to encourage you to have hope, seek beauty, and live joyfully. I have BA’s in English and Communication from Westmont College and an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary. I have focused my career working in and writing for the Church as a youth director, a communication director, and a freelance writer/editor. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area with my husband, two sons, and a menagerie of pets. You can also find me on Instagram (@sivricketts).

What are you learning from conversations?

How has your fall been so far? Ours has been full of goodness. Happily sending Q17 back to in-person school for his senior year and Dave back to work post-sabbatical for a bigger, more joy-filled job and almost-regular work weeks for the first time since March 2020. A wedding in Tahoe and a pastors’ retreat … Continue reading What are you learning from conversations?

Want to Be Productive? Add Joy!

When our younger son was diagnosed in middle school with inattentive ADHD, I discovered that I have it, too. Our older son has what most people think of as ADHD: capital-H Hyperactive. Our younger son’s personality is so different that we had no idea. Turns out, ADHD doesn’t always look the same. I thought I … Continue reading Want to Be Productive? Add Joy!

Join My Community!

Friends, I am excited to announce that I have added a sign up form on my blog’s homepage so you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter. Why subscribe? 1 - You will receive an email once a month with encouraging content I won’t share elsewhere. 2 - You will receive a bonus list of five … Continue reading Join My Community!

Five Types of Prayer to Refresh Your Joy

How do you feel about prayer? I’ll admit I have mixed feelings. I grew up in churches. I attended a Christian college and seminary. I have been involved with countless ministries. I have worked at churches. And I have prayed silently and out loud in every one of those contexts.  Still, for much of my … Continue reading Five Types of Prayer to Refresh Your Joy

Summer Reading 2021

School starts for my son tomorrow - senior year already? - which means summer is over for us even though technically summer lasts another six weeks. Also, it's #NationalBookLoversDay, so it seems like a good time to share all the books I've read this summer. Since I've read a stack, I'll list them in star … Continue reading Summer Reading 2021

Let Vulnerability Drive Your Meaningful Life

What drives you? As we road tripped across the country this summer, we listened to audio books. Some better than others, and that one narrator who put me to sleep every time... Good thing Dave was driving! Last week we drove from the San Francisco Bay Area to Oregon and back listening to two delicious … Continue reading Let Vulnerability Drive Your Meaningful Life

Remain in God’s Love

“Remain in God’s love.” That phrase from John 15 caught me. What does it look like to remain in God’s love? According to the passage, we remain in God’s love by keeping God’s commands. But what does that mean? Do we step outside of God’s love when we don’t keep God’s commands? That can’t be … Continue reading Remain in God’s Love

We’ve Been Everywhere, Man

I’m no Johnny Cash so I won’t try to rhyme all the places we’ve been, but wow did we ever go sauntering (read “the before” post here). We can truly sing along with Cash that we’ve crossed the desert's bare, man and breathed the mountain air, man. Santa Barbara, CAGrand Canyon NP, AZ Zion & … Continue reading We’ve Been Everywhere, Man

Let’s Go Sauntering

Before he departed for Sabbatical Adventure 1, Dave read to me a quote from John Muir: “I don't like either the word [hike] or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not 'hike!' Do you know the origin of that word saunter? It's a beautiful word. Away back in the middle ages … Continue reading Let’s Go Sauntering