I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for Billy Graham. You read that right. I really wouldn’t. Do you ever wonder who it was in your life that was the crux of it all that led to your existence? Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe YOU are the one that will be the prompt to someone else’s opening … Read More
#WinningAtLife
What does winning at life look like, really? In a culture of hashtags, most of us are familiar with #winning or #winningatlife . Sometimes these little community builders are used in jest or sarcasm and others, they are used as an honest cheer for small and great victories alike. I’ve used both. Plugging in the crockpot AND turning it on? … Read More
The Struggle Is Real
Do you struggle? Well, if you have breath, we both know the answer to that question. Of course you do. I do, too. Everyone does. They didn’t come up with #thestruggleisreal for no reason. Life is full of friction that constitutes a daily struggle to do things… to do the right things…in the amount of time we’ve been given each … Read More
This Stuff is Real
I’m not a theologian. But I am a Christ-follower. Long before I chose Him 29 years ago, Jesus chose me. I was 4 when I decided to follow Jesus. It wasn’t a complicated decision. I hadn’t been into drugs or come from an abusive home or anything like that. My storyline of following Jesus had a pretty steady baseline until … Read More
When God Doesn’t Stop The Storm
Storms. That’s been the common theme of most news cycles the last week. For many of us, we’ve been on the edge of our seats, petrified for our loved ones, their homes, and our fellow mankind in general. Our pastor and his wife thought they were in St.Martin just to celebrate their 25th anniversary. Turns out, they were there to … Read More
When God’s Time Table Is Different Than Yours
I remember how upset I felt on May 18th four years ago. My husband and I were silently grieving our way through failed fertility treatments. No one knew but us and maybe one or two close friends. Not even our families. We were doing our best to put on smiles to celebrate a family graduation, but inside, our hearts were … Read More
Filling the Dark, Empty Spaces
We just celebrated Christ’s resurrection this past Sunday. Easter is one of my favorite holidays, because the festivities and remembrances of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection seem to re-center my focus on hope. Christmas has a way of making me feel expectant and Easter has a way of making me feel simultaneously sure-footed and full of life. Both historical … Read More
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
What Keeps You Up At Night?
What keeps you up at night? No, really. Be honest. What are your deepest thoughts, which your mind churns through while all else is still? Blogs and books are a dime a dozen, these days, aren’t they? Sometimes, it seems like many of these published works are meeting the needs of what is ordinary in order to help people feel … 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