The day my gown glides across the carpet, I believe I’ll be married forever. But reality turns out so much differently than I’d planned. In so many ways. Bad ways. And very good ways. Good ways only because of Him. But in those years amidst the guilt and shame, my heart longed for freedom. The freedom to […]
(in)couragers Community Groups for YOU! {Fall 2013}
Woo Hoo!!! TODAY is the day registration opens for our (in)couragers community groups through the amazingly fantastic super-powers over at (in)courage! Last year I was blessed to lead an online (in)couragers group through the fall and the spring, and some of the connections we made have become real friendships full of love and support. In […]
When You Wonder if His Mercy Can Find You Too
I wear it around my neck these days, this Word mercy, that changed everything for me. This richness of God, sent from the profoundness of His deep love. A generous love I can barely grasp– a kindness I’m still at a loss to comprehend. I remember a time I thought I actually understood it, in […]
The Nostalgia of Home
I traveled home a few weekends ago for the first time in a long time. And it’s always good to come home. And for me, it really IS home. It’s the same dirt lane, with the same field across the way where I stood and pitched countless balls to my dad in the twilight of […]
For When You Need a Life of Peace {The Romans Project}
I memorize while I drive, at red lights and stop signs, these words of Paul which are soaking into my dry soul and reviving me each time I remember them. As we drive, the kids test me, stopping me if I make a mistake. And every Friday I record my voice reciting my learned verses, […]
What I Learned {August 2013}
At the end of every month, Emily Freeman writes a post sharing what she’s learned. Some are small things, some are big. Some serious and some light-hearted. But it’s always fun to read what she’s discovering. And she’s hosting a link-up on her blog, where everyone can meet and share what they’ve learned too. So come on […]
Worship is a Posture of the Heart
I’ve stood before thousands to lead worship and raise my hands in praise to Him. I’ve sung solos on auto pilot while thinking about lunch and that lady’s crazy outfit on the front row. And just because we’re singing with our eyes closed and our hands raised, doesn’t mean we’re worshipping. And as the years […]
For When You Struggle with Comparison {Allume}
Comparison is a universal struggle it seems. And in my own life, I must admit, when I compare myself to others, it steals my joy and kills my hope… Of who I want to be. Of what I long to do. Of where I want to go. And how I will ever possibly get there. […]
When You’re Broken and Need Rebuilding
The moment feels final when misfortune levels you or failure swallows you. When guilt smothers you, The sturdy walls of your life fall down on you, Or fear grips you and will not let you go. I know. Because I lived it. And yet I’m still living to tell it … emotionally alive only because […]
When Your Climb Feels Invisible and Your Steps Small
Sometimes the small things matter most of all. Small steps. Small habits. Small thoughts. Small decisions. Step by step they change us over time, into something different and something new–something we never anticipated we’d become at all. And that’s the power of just doing the next thing. Not the big thing. But the small thing, […]
