Lately a lot of things I trusted in have gotten shaky. The entrepreneurial venture my husband embarked on ended after 2 1/2 years with disappointment, injustice, and a net loss of money. The small church I have poured myself into over the past seven years has shrunk even more over the last few months. And conflicts out of my control have attacked my peace during nights of little sleep.
My Message to Middle Schoolers… (or Myself).
Wiggling, squirming, “falling” out of their chairs… giggling, snorting, popcorn missing their mouths and hitting the floor. Eighteen middle school…
When Saying Yes Gets Hard
My husband and I always said that “someday” we wanted to foster or adopt. When we were challenged by a…
The [Simple] Good News
We make Church and Christianity and following Jesus so complicated. But it’s pretty simple, really. The Good News Both elevates…
When You Feel Left Out, Forgotten, or Unwanted, Remember This.
Twenty of us were sitting in the living room on a mish-mash of recliners, couches, and chairs pulled in from…
It’s Not for You to Keep, Church
If you have talent healing words money a home leadership skills time creativity energy wisdom food freedom… Please do not…
When All the Good Things are Harder.
I used to pity the woman with the issue of blood. Twelve years of unresolved pain, draining her energy and health…
Joy on the Gray Days
Whether the weather is getting to you or whether the “clouds” overhead look more like grief or anxiety, we all…
Heaven came down
Last year our Christmas tree fell over – well, got knocked over, really – right after we had finished decorating…
Thank You, Difference-Makers!
Who is a difference-maker in your life that deserves some thanks? So many “little” things that regular ol’ people like you and me do unexpectedly impact attitudes, atmospheres, and situations in huge ways.
How Not to Wield Your Wisdom Over Other People
I’m right. I’m always right. I cling to my right-ness as a part of my identity; it is core to…
Why I Don’t Want to Live in a Colorblind World
You would never use just one word to define a place, or a historical figure, or a feeling, or a food, or even another word. It would be completely inadequate. You might say “tasty”… and then you add, “But the lemon flavor is a little too overpowering.” Or you might say “bored”… but then you would say, “Because I miss my friend who is away on a trip.” And although some of our personal culture and identity are tied to the words “black” and “white”, these words are incomplete when used as the sole definition of a human being.
I wrote a book and a half!
After [only] three years… The biggest project I have ever attempted in my almost 11 years on Young Life staff…
May Your Compassion Never Be Disconnected from Your Behavior
It seems that very few Christians have a good reputation in both the Christian and the secular worlds, so how…
When Foster Care Feels Scary.
It is a scary thing to say “yes” to taking in a child you’ve never met and know very little about. When the call comes, and the only thing the voice on the other end knows is the child’s age and gender. Nothing about interests, behaviors, dislikes, personality… no pictures, no stories. Just: “Can you take him?”
It’s the worst blind date scenario.