Poor Daddy. He just couldn’t shake it. Shame weighed him down like a dead body strapped to his back. No matter how many times I told him that God loved and accepted him just the way he was, he couldn’t believe it. That kind of grace was unfathomable, unthinkable, unbelievable . . . especially for a man like him. I wonder if you know someone like him…or maybe have been someone like him? Read more…
Moving Beyond Failure
I shared over at Proverbs 31 Ministries yesterday, and thought you might be encouraged by these words too. It’s for every woman who has ever failed…and that includes me. Let’s talk about it.
Sometimes, walking or running away from my failure is easier than facing it.
I’ve walked away from a struggling friendship rather than working through the rough patch to keep it strong. Read more…
Going With The Flow Is Often Flawed
Have you ever heard someone say, “Just go with the flow?” Let me tell you a story about why that’s not always a good idea.
I met my husband at a Bible Study in college and quickly learned that he was a very frugal, industrious, and resourceful young man. On our first date, he came to pick me up in his ten-year-old Volkswagen Beetle that he had purchased for $725. Read more…
Can I Trust God?
Have you ever wondered if you could trust God with your story? With your circumstances? With your struggles? With your dreams? Let me share why I had trouble trusting God as a new Christians…
I hopped up on the counter at the soda fountain and placed my five-year-old feet on the spinning stool in front of me. Dad sipped on a Coke and talked to the lady behind the counter with the red-and-white-striped apron tied around her waist. Read more…
It’s Going to Be Ok
I’m sharing over at Proverbs 31 Ministries today about how a friend helped me through one of the most difficult days of my life. I thought it might encourage you too. So grab a cup of coffee and prepare your heart.
It was one of the worst days of my life. Tragedy struck our family in the worst way, Read more…
How Long Am I Going To Stay Mad About It?
Today, let’s talk about getting mad. If you’ve never been mad at anybody, you can stop reading now.
Since you’re still here, I’m thinking you’ve been mad a time or two yourself. So let’s keep reading…
I was really upset with her. I don’t need to tell you the details because I want you to fill in the blanks yourself. Read more…
God Puts to Use What He’s Put Us Through (and What We’ve Put Ourselves Through)
Chris, one of my friends, was in a seminary class when someone raised his hand and asked the professor: What is your best advice on how to be a good pastor?”
“Empathy,” the professor replied. “Have empathy.”
Then Chris raised his hand. “How do you get empathy?
With a trace of sad knowing in his eyes, Read more…
Why This? Why Me? Why Now?
What do you do when heartbreak slams into joy? When your soul cracks open and there just aren’t enough tears? When hurt steals your hope and you want to give up on life? When deep soul lesions make a mockery of your faith? I’ve been there. I wonder if you have too.
I remember the day when my son, Read more…
Where Broken Began
I watched the news and mourned the hatred of mankind. I read the paper and questioned the senseless headlines. I listened to the radio and cried about the wildfires out west. Silently I prayed, God, why is the world so messed up? And then the Holy Spirit reminded me of where broken began.
When God fashioned, fitted, and filled the earth, Read more…
Moving Beyond Disappointment and Grief
Grief is a funny thing. I can’t think of many who haven’t experienced grief in some form or another. So let’s talk about it today.
Grief is a natural response to a loss. It could be the loss of a loved one, the loss of a relationship, or the loss of a dream. Grief is a complex weaving of emotions that accompany the loss of what was or sometimes the emptiness of what wasn’t. Read more…