Before Christmas, I started watching a film called 12 Dates of Christmas (imagine if Groundhog Day hooked up with Hallmark and you’d have a clear picture). Ironically, I didn’t finish it for several days. By then, our days started to look like mirror cousins. Aside from an emergency trip to the hospital involving a two-day […]
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When We Don’t Come Together
I drank coffee with a friend this morning–a precious older sister with an incredible testimony of God’s grace and a life to back it up. She only has ten years on me, but she has six beautiful grandkids and has visited over 20 countries. A few years ago, she moved halfway across the states to […]
Teary Green-Eyed: Why Doesn’t My Story Look Like That?
I was listening to a popular podcast by Jeff and Beth McCord on parenting, and at the end of the session, Jeff referenced some books by people he respects that have helped give insight into parenting. And one name grabbed me. Oh my word, I know that name! They used to attend our church. They’ve […]
Useless or Useful
Back in the 90’s, when my dad was pastoring, our church often did dramas to illustrate a message. One script we acted out involved Matthew 5:13-16 where Jesus talks about His followers being the salt and light of the world. Each “character” had a light (a lantern of some type) that they carried with them. […]
The Path of my Scars: Disappointment to Hope
Twenty-six years ago, I found myself in the ER with a ruptured appendix, which is scary in and of itself. But what was more alarming was that the ER doctor didn’t know that my appendix had ruptured. He wanted to send me home. He didn’t know why I was screaming in pain (even speculated that […]
Stepping into the Fog
Thirteen years ago this month, I woke up in a hotel room alone, unemployed, unsure, and frustrated. The toilet didn’t flush properly (yes, it overflowed) and the hot water had been shut off (no shower for you). My husband had gotten up before the sun so that he could plow roads of ice and snow […]
Finding the Oasis
Everyone knows what an oasis is (we picture lush palms and fruit and aqua waters), but do you know what makes it especially restorative and beautiful is that it’s found in arid places. In other words, the oasis is defined as such because it’s surrounded by the contrasting dry desert. We too, like sojourners in […]
Unraveling Depression’s Patterns
In a recent Hallmark movie, carefree and confident Annie asked the main character Harold to look in the mirror and state 5 things that he liked about himself. Awkwardly and with some embarrassment, he couldn’t come up with one. His response scared his “life coach” so that she started addressing his lack of self-confidence. Now, […]
21 Ways to Recirculate Respect in Our Culture This Year
Last year brought out the ugly in people. Make no mistake, those putrid waters already lurked below the surface, but all restraint was thrown off as people ridiculed, shamed, trolled and blasted people over differing opinions and perspectives. Whether the topic involves COVID, politics, religion, or parenting, we need to regain a sense of maturity […]
Being Female isn’t a Feeling
“It is a naïve sort of feminism that insists that women prove their ability to do all the things that men do. This is a distortion and a travesty. Men have never sought to prove that they can do all the things women do. Why subject women to purely masculine criteria? Women can and ought […]