She stood on that stage almost a week ago in her red speaking boots. And with her soft soothing voice she told it to us brave: Do not disdain the secret living… The moments in life no one sees. The way you sacrifice and serve and die to your self in the mundane moments. Crucified and Cruciform. Every. […]
I Want to Look Beyond the Now of Who You Are
I want to see. I want to learn how to look past the surface and see the deep places where others really live. Because I know where I really live. I know my struggles and the pain of my moments. And when I’m deeply honest, this life is hard. Hard because transparency is risky and […]
For When You Wonder if You Really Can Finish the Race
When I first took the risk and signed up for a half-marathon, I most certainly had a twinge of doubt, wondering if I really could do it–if I could run the entire race and actually finish. As I trained the doubt didn’t subside either. Now. I’m a “check it off the list” kind of girl. […]
To Welcome Suffering is to Say Yes to God
If there’s one thing I’m learning lately, it’s that suffering is inevitable in this life. That no matter who we are, no matter what we have, and no matter where we live, we will have hard things to face. And yet it’s such a challenge to welcome the suffering–to embrace adversity… To look forward to […]
For When You Need To Grasp His Love
There are still times when it is hard for me to grasp how very wide and long and high and deep is God’s unconditional love for me. To grasp no matter what I do, He could never love me more, And no matter what I fail to do, He could never love me less. He loves […]
When Our Heart Aches, He Meets Us Even There
I cry the ugly cry and can hardly type through the blur. My heart is aching and I know the ache is nothing compared with what some others may be facing. But my tears only know my ache, the reality of my situation, and there’s nothing more real than my very own heart. I’m alone, yet I know God is here. I’ve heard […]
Dear Me … A Letter to My High School Self { Graceful }
Today I’m joining Emily P. Freeman and others to celebrate the release of her new book, Graceful, by writing a letter to my high school self. Her first book, Grace for the Good Girl was so rich and full of truth for women, and this book, Graceful, is just what a teenage girl needs. Dear me, I […]
How to Be Still and Trust, Even In the Pain
He is still and he trusts me and looks up at me like I’m the love of his life. And how can I resist that smile? With those steel-blue eyes and small gap between his teeth. And I’ve been falling for him since my eyes first met him that January morning over six full years ago. He’s calm […]
Grace FULL and Overflowing
Full. Satisfied. Filled to the top with favor and overflowing. A gift that’s unearned. Underserved. And just plain surprising. And He says it’s sufficient–that it’s enough. No more looking around and longing to be satisfied. No more longing for significance or worth or wishing to belong. No more coveting what’s not ours and hanging our […]
Why Feelings Are NOT the Dictators of Our Reality {There is Hope}
There are times in life that are stormy and dark, when every heart feels beyond hope. Times when we’re overwhelmed by circumstances that startle and catch us off guard–circumstances that are right here, right now–dark and directly overhead. No anticipation. No warning. And we’re blinded by their presence and sideswiped by their consequences. A lost job. A […]
