The voice inside my head said, “You’re not good enough.” And I knew it. I was a mom of four, my youngest still in diapers, and I was overwhelmed. Thankfully, I had a loving husband and friends who recognized that I needed help. My husband is a pastor, so we’re supposed to have it all…
When singer/songwriter Keith Green, along with his 3 year-old son Josiah and two year-old daughter Bethany were killed in a plane crash in July of 1982, it rocked my world. I was a fan. My husband was a fan. We had only been married for six months and Keith’s song, “Make My Life A Prayer…
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 ** I want that. Overflow. So full that there’s no room for more. So filled to the brim that hope overflows. Spills out. …
When our kids were little one of our favorite family games was hide-and-seek. Even when they were too small (or too timid) to hide for themselves, we would team up and have a competition to see who could hide in the best place. Summertime lent itself to hiding outside–sometimes with walkie-talkies so we could taunt…
Yep. It’s one of those days. Gray and cloudy and cold and wet. On the outside too. Begging for just a hint of sunshine to brighten the day…
Grief is lonely. The tragedy of another school shooting on Valentines Day has our nation grieving. I cannot imagine the horror of this nightmare in the hearts and minds of so many parents, siblings, grandparents, teachers. So many who are hurting. Those of us watching it on the news and reading about it online are…
The adoption process is a whirlwind of emotions. Allowing your heart to be vulnerable to the ups and downs of this journey takes more than just sacrifice– it takes stamina. Holding on to hope for what is best for a child takes willpower and true grit. Stubbornly fighting for the rights of a child demands…
Holding on even when it hurts. Maybe because it hurts. The pain. The struggle. The anxiety. You worry, knowing that life happens and you are not in control.
The string of lights are removed. The tree comes down and just.like.that. Christmas is over. Only it’s not.
We’ve all been there. Holidays that are meant to be joyful family reunions, but are not quite complete because someone is missing. Maybe that someone is you. Or a loved one who couldn’t make it home–or one who has found an eternal home. It’s a mixed bag of emotions. Wonderful and horrible at the same…
A submission for the Obsessive Writing Challenge — SIN: The weight of it all. The heaviness. The guilt. The consequences. Unavoidable and yet–undeniable. Sin. We step into the shallow water only to drown in its depths. And yet.
“Like a bride Waiting for her groom We’ll be a church Ready for You Every heart longing for our King We sing Even so come Lord Jesus come..” I grew up singing songs about heaven. Lots of them. Songs of Jesus’ return were sung in praise and worship of the King of Kings who came to…
Prayer is simple, really. We are the ones who over-complicate it. We assume that we have to get it just right, or that God is more concerned about our vocabulary than He is our heart. Prayer can be words spoken–but they might just be thoughts that are formed and directed at God. My prayer life was…
It is an inevitable inevitability. Change. Not always easy. Not always welcome. But definitely in.ev.it.a.ble. The cycle of life has a way of reminding us that even though change can be very difficult, it is, in reality, the most natural thing of all. It is one thing that we can always count on: Change will happen. As…
Though not often spoken, it is a common question in the back recesses of the human mind. “Can God forgive that?” “Can He forgive me?” He knows what I’ve done. He knows my mistakes. My rebellion. He set up clear perimeters and gave us specific instructions, But we disobey. Like a child, when we deliberately…
