I want to live in the here, really I do. Amidst the messes and piles of papers in the office, Among the toys strewn through every room, With the dishes piled in the sink because the dishwasher is clean and I haven’t unloaded it, And the laundry that piles up and calls me from much […]
The Thorns Beneath the Smile {Why Our Answers Should Simply Be Yes or No} :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 16 & 17}
I’m a liar. And you are too… Oh maybe not in obvious ways, but they’re lies just the same. You know… Like when a friend says you should get together sometime, and insists how much you mean to her, but the meeting never ever happens. Yeah, that. Or when you run into that person in […]
3 Steps For When Your Heart Faces the Pain, Brokenness, and Devastation of Divorce :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 15}
No matter what, divorce is painful. It hurts. And its consequences never really end. I know—because twelve years ago I got divorced. I know first-hand the pain and its consequences, especially when adultery is involved. And while I’ll share those details with you another time, suffice it to say, God hates divorce from the spouse […]
What to Do When Someone Is Upset With You :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 12}
Keeping short accounts makes for a life full of peace. And that is a truth that will never change. Several years ago, my husband and I became aware that a couple in our church had a problem with us. We were shocked and surprised to learn of the situation and saddened it had been happening for so […]
When You Need to Stop the Expectations So You Can Find Joy
Anger and frustration are the children of unmet expectations. And unmet expectations kill relationships. I should know this by now. It’s a lesson always before me, one I never really learn. It happens in my marriage, with my parents, my children and my friends. And it all starts in my mind. I begin to imagine […]
For When You Dare to Risk Enough to Be Real
Are you daring enough to be real? Are you willing to tell a friend the raw truth because you believe they’ll be better because of it? Because you can see beyond the conflict of the now? Are you willing to risk being hurt in order to gain relationship? Are you willing to open up? To […]
What Community Can Look Like, (in)RL
Every human heart longs for connection… to be heard and understood, to feel wanted and valued, to learn from another and give in return, And I know it’s true for me. And while that longing can be met amidst intermittent interactions and online connections, there’s nothing like lingering in real life… Nothing like taking the […]
Brave is…
Brave is… …when you send the email apologizing, and don’t even know if there will be a response. …when you sit and breathe deep, and stay engaged in the disagreement–unsure if you’ll even be heard. …when you stand before a crowd of people, on a scary stage alone, and speak your story out loud … […]
The Deep Roots of Friendship
We all need a friend. Someone who gets us, who is there for us, and who loves us no matter what. And those kind of friends are rare. I’ve had some difficult seasons in my life and endured them with few friends, and through those experiences I’ve learned to appreciate the qualities that help cultivate […]
For When We Surrender and Sacrifice to Remember
Today is the day, Ash Wednesday–the beginning of lent. And for the next 40 days, there are over 3,000 of us fasting together. All of us fasting for something, and from something, in an act of surrender. Fasting is a process of surrender. And it’s in the surrendering that the change comes. A surrender of what I want, what I […]
