Five years ago, over seventy of us gathered for our 20-year high school reunion. And among those classmates was my friend, Kevin Downes. That night we caught up, as he shared all he’d been doing in the past 20 years, including writing and producing films with his brother Bobby. Kevin told about the coming release […]
When You Dare to BE in Community :: (in)RL 2014
It’s a scary thing to drive an hour alone and knock on a complete stranger’s door. Because who knows what you’ll find, when you meet on the other side of a computer screen? Maybe there’ll be cat hair on the couch and toilets with rings all the way around? Or maybe an attitude of pretense, […]
The Way to Get Joy {And a Reminder: You’re Not Guilty Anymore}
She stands on that gigantic stage and accentuates with her arms to punctuate her points. And you can hear a pin drop in the room because at the core of each one of us, we are aching for joy. And she explains how it is possible. No matter what you’re facing, as long as thanks […]
Experiencing Joy
The times in life when I experience the most joy, are the times I sense God’s pleasure. The times I’m close to Him, reading His Word, journaling my thoughts, and sharing with Him my heart. The times He multiplies my efforts as a mom, filling in the gaps where I lack, and showing me there’s […]
For You to Know His Mercy {A Brand New Place!}
My heart beats fast as I write, groping for just the right words to welcome you to this new place … this beautiful light-filled mercy-space … the one I’ve dreamed of for so long. The place where I have the chance to meet with you–the privilege to invite you in, with the hope that even amidst […]
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 […]
Only God Can Change Tragedy Into Beauty
Only God can change tragedy into beauty. And it is only because of Him we can give thanks in everything, and by doing so find joy. I first met her 2 years ago when she became my neighbor. I’m really not the bold and brazen type who randomly knocks on a door. And I’m certainly not a door-to-door evangelist, but […]
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 […]
Because It Is the Stretching That Brings the Change
It’s in the stretching, that change comes. And you know what’s a stretch? I’ll tell you, me being a runner! (Although it’s becoming less of a stretch every day.) When I got talked into signed up to run this half-marathon in October, I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t really know how hard. And […]
Because He Really Does Satisfy with Long Life
And what a privilege to return home in the late of summer to celebrate her 90th birthday. Her life has not been perfect; in fact it has been full of suffering… An alcoholic father, an interrupted education, marrying young, and having lots of babies… No running water, almost no money, baking from scratch, curing wild […]