When All You Know Is That Jesus Loves You

Recently, some majorly bad decisions, which did not match up with the apparent character of a person very dear to our family, were revealed. In shocked disbelief, questions poured out. Nothing made sense about any of the information we learned because all things we were hearing were polar-opposite to the person we thought we knew. The more uncovering that happened, … Read More

Wonderful Counselor

Do you ever choose a word for your new year? It’s usually a word that summarizes what you hope to be the over all tone of your coming 365 days. My word for 2015 was: Intentional. One thing I chose to be intentional about for these past twelve months was reaping the benefits of counseling. I was in an intense … Read More

What to Do When Even Christmas Offends You

Last Christmas, I was a mess. Four months prior, I lost my first child- a miracle child- to miscarriage. My world stopped spinning for a while and so much offended me. Things that were part of my regular rhythms weren’t cutting it for my broken heart. Going to church didn’t feel safe for me, but I went anyway. I was surrounded by … Read More

Navigating the Colorless Road

A few months ago, I was on a solo road trip, heading back home to Virginia. The cusp of winter was in the air. In fact, a mid November snow had just come where I had been visiting. As I checked to be sure my headlights were on, I noticed that everything around me was a sort of monotone grey…almost … Read More

The Middle of Your Story

Thoughts race through your mind as you hear yet another person’s success story of how they got through something difficult or how they skipped the circumstances that you are going through all together. You wonder, “That’s great for them. But what about my story? How’s my story going to turn out?” You may fret and hyperventilate a little or a … Read More

But How? But God…

I hardly know where to start. It’s not often that a writer is at a loss for words. Really, I’ve got many words, but just am not sure how to communicate what it is I need to write about because there is so much to tell and so much not to tell. This is going to be a five-part series. These words … Read More

How Big Are Your Mountains Really?

The other day, I was sitting with my husband on the welcome center porch at the University where he teaches.   The sun was setting behind the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.  And God was wooing me.  He knows that my love languages are cows, rainbows, and sunsets.  And there He was, whispering lovely truths into the ears of my heart.  The … Read More

To the Strained People of the World

How are your muscles today? Aching a bit from strain?  What has you straining? Is it from grinding your teeth at night because that’s how your body inadvertently reacts to stress even as you sleep? Is it from carrying that very attached baby of yours everywhere you go even as you work? Is it from hunching over mounds of paperwork as … Read More