I want intimacy with Christ. Not just faith or faithfulness, but nearness.

And still, I often feel clumsy in it. Prayer wanders. Silence refuses to settle. I wonder why closeness feels so elusive.

Lately, I have been considering the possibility that intimacy is not earned, but received. Gently. Over time. Daily.

Most of what I have learned in life has come from the ashes. From moments of regret, failure, and loss, and from the slow work of grace that follows. Ashes to Ink begins with a childhood encounter with fire and traces the long and imperfect way I have learned to pay attention to what God may be doing with what remains.