I hadn’t heard from her in over a month. And I didn’t feel a release to send another message until I did. Because sometimes, in a friendship, we need space. We need to process all that’s happening inside and respond when our heart is ready—when we have something meaningful to say. And that’s what I […]
(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 […]
Mended :: To Shine Hope to the Broken {Week 10}
I’ll never forget him, broken, and in need of being mended. He was 35 years old and going blind. His diabetes was out of control, but he didn’t care. His wife had tried for years to get him frequent a doctor. He refused. Even after they had explained the risk of further complications … heart […]
Mended :: May We Surrender in Our Grief {Week 9}
Surrender is hardest when we don’t understand. Sarah’s with Jesus tonight. Her battle is over now. She was only five years old, just one month younger than my youngest daughter. My heart is broken for her mama and all who loved her. Leukemia stole her future and ripped apart her hope–the hope of tooth fairy […]
Won’t You Join Us for Community, In Real Life?
It all started with Angie Smith and her blog Bring the Rain. My friend Kathy had been reading her words for a long time, and one day was introduced to Ann Voskamp through Angie’s blog. Kathy and I had become friends in real life while attending a small couple’s home bible study through our church. […]
Mended :: When All We Have to Do is Surrender {Week 8}
There was a time in my life when I was unwilling to surrender. The noise of my desires and the chaos of the details left me spinning like a top. Disoriented and alone, I grew more and more discouraged each day. It was as if I was in my own rowboat, saying goodbye to the […]
Mended :: When You Need to Remember God Loves You {Week 7}
Sometimes we’re mended little by little as we stop and choose to see all the ways He loves. I awake to kids arguing and yelling … punching actually. And as I investigate why this is happening, it becomes no surprise why punches were thrown. At seven and eight years old, April Fool’s Day is a […]
Mended :: Providential Purpose {Week 6}
Angie Smith continues to bless, as we make our way through her book Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole. This week we’re discussing chapters 17-19 and continuing to wrestle through the steps of being mended. We are made complete amidst tragedy, redeemed through failure, and comforted by a Savior who understands every detail of our […]
Mended :: For When You Wonder if You Can Be Forgiven {Week 5}
There was a time in my life when I honestly wondered if I could be forgiven … if I was worthy to be near God or near the cross at all. And in the most dark and isolating moments of it all, I feared God would stop loving me. For years I told others all about […]
Mended :: The Root of Brokenness {Week 4}
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 […]
