I place her new baby on her bare chest and the emotion in the room is palpable. We do it at every delivery because it begins the bond. Skin touches skin, And oxytocin surges… And we know from the research, ANY skin touching skin, releases oxytocin, initiating and strengthening the bond. It’s amazing how touch […]
Green Pastures and Still Water
I see the word Lisa-Jo posts last night, as I park the car in the driveway–finally home from a long day at work. The word is afraid. And I love this five-minute-Friday community…a group of women who write from their heart and link-up their words every Friday, with posts based on a one-word prompt given […]
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 […]
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 […]
Because Our Roots Are Established in the Dark Secret Places
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. […]
Your Voice is the Bridge From Your Heart to Mine
Your voice is the bridge from your heart to mine as we walk amidst the vivid colors and falling leaves of this far away place. And what rest my heart has found to hear your voice. The voice I read on the screen yet today I can hear. For the spinning noises of life to pause […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
