Divorce feels like failure, and is always full of pain. I know. Matt was three when everything changed–his house, who he lived with, and his daily schedule. I’ll never forget the excruciating moment each Sunday night, as we met in the Thrifty parking lot for me to pick him up from his weekend with his […]
How to Sail Into a God-sized Dream
Last January I joined a team of dreamers, and set off to pursue my God-sized dream—a dream that was bigger than me. I set sail into uncharted waters–toward unknown destinations, excited for the adventure ahead. I watched many of the other God-sized dreamers name their dreams, but I had a hard time naming mine. My […]
What I Learned {December 2013}
I’ve become more of a noticer of life, since writing these monthly wrap-up posts. And again, I am linking up with Emily Freeman and her beautiful community, to share all we learned in December. So in no particular order, here’s what I’ve learned this past month. 1. Voxer preferences can be changed. My finger used […]
To Slow in This Season, and Reflect
I walk the perimeter of the tiny lake at sunset, and the trees reflect and glow on the surface of the lake’s still water. I walk, and ponder–reflect on my life, and this season I’m now living. There is silence. Ducks split the smoothness in formation, leaving a wake behind them. They are braving their […]
When a Fallen Tree Takes Time to Grow Again
Because of my story, I receive emails every single week from women who are desperate for answers. Desperate for someone, anyone, to tell them what to do to fix the mess and pain of the life they’re living. And if there’s one thing I know for sure, sin brings pain–deep, gouging, life-altering pain, the likes […]
When Pain Blinds Us to the Truth
The truth is hard to see when we’re in pain. Doubt settles in like an opaque cloud clinging to a mountain and never letting go. Confusion rolls in as a fog, preventing us from seeing more than a few inches beyond our face. And we can’t see the sun that shines above the thickness. We […]
My Grace is Enough {Letters from God}
I want you to know I see your heart. I know your motives. I sense your effort in longing to please me. How you read my words, write your prayers, and memorize my ways. And I love how you see others I’ve made–how you seek to connect with them and love them too. But in […]
Life in His Laundry Room
I bend and sort the clothes, turn socks and flip shirts inside out, one piece at a time. And I’m always amazed how much laundry we have each week. Laundry stained with spills, smeared with soil, and marked with the activity of long days. Stains from running and jumping and playing. From kneeling in the […]
When You Wonder if There is Purpose in Pain
She loses her job this week and walks away with one less key on her ring and a feeling of loss in her heart. It happens so fast. Abrupt, sudden, and unexpected. Everything becomes ordinary all at once, and none of it is easy at all. After years of giving with grace and mentoring with […]
To Write is the Change the World
To write has become a way to live—a way for me to understand the world. A way for me to process my circumstances, to converse with God, and to learn lessons I may not otherwise have learned had I not taken the time to write about them. And this has surprised me. Because I never […]