I grow up on a farm … a farm with lots of weeds. I wish I could say I don’t have much experience with them, but that would be a lie. The truth is, I spend many afternoons in that central-San-Joaquin-valley sun pulling countless weeds, and I never, ever enjoy it. In fact, it seems […]
Mended :: Chapters 5-8 {Week 3}
We’re in our second session of the (in)couragers community and you can read all about it by clicking here. This session we’re walking through Angie Smith’s amazing book, Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole. Today, Tracie is hosting our study on her blog… I first met Tracie last July at the She Speaks Conference […]
Mended :: Chapters 1-4 {Week 2}
We’re in our second session of the (in)couragers community and you can read all about it by clicking here. This session we’re walking through Angie Smith’s amazing book, Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole. Today, Denise is hosting our study on her blog… Denise has been my in-real-life friend for over a decade, and […]
Mended :: Beginning the Journey in Community {Week 1}
I’ve been broken and shattered. And I’ve lived without hope … engulfed with regret and buried in shame. In fact I remember being so broken and stained by the sin of my choices that I seriously wondered if I had stepped just beyond God’s love. Because for me, I willingly made choices that destroyed my […]
For When You’re Exposed and Have Lost Your Words
I hear the pitter patter of the rain and see the clouds hang on the mountain, much like the words hang heavy on my heart. Where have they gone? After baring my soul to the world, braving the cold winds of exposure and judgment, what now? January has left me behind… Deadlines to meet and […]
When Your Heart Longs for Healing {An Interview with Shannon Ethridge}
In the years following my affair, God began healing my heart from the self-inflicted wounds that had scarred me. He began to reveal Himself to me in ways I’d never known before, and as I surrendered to Him, He began to use me more than I ever imagined he could. The truth is, our brokenness […]
For When You Dream of a Community of Mercy and Grace
I’m still full of wonder at the mercy of our God—the fact that I don’t receive the punishment I do deserve, but instead am given grace—the gift of His unending and extravagant love I don’t deserve. I wonder what it would be like for every heart to be found by His mercy and transformed by […]
Hope For When You’re Empty {Unglued Finale}
We drove halfway up the mountain in an argument and it didn’t get much better once we arrived. I can’t even remember what it was about. But most likely it was precipitated by a lack of time together lately, the stresses of finances, and the myriad of responsibilities on both of our shoulders. When we […]
Give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. He. is. good. Do you believe He is? Even through the job loss The cancer fight The care of an aging parent Or the care of a special needs child? Do you believe He is good? Even through the loneliness and despair of isolation The tension […]
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 […]
