When you’re a Christian, it’s generally easy to surround yourself with other like-minded Christians. Church, your small group, your Christian writers’ group, your weekly moms’ Bible study, the other parents whose kids play on the church softball league–these are all great potential sources of friendship, encouragement, and accountability as you seek to follow Jesus. And…
“Grandpa has been sent to hospice.” The text message was simple and not unexpected. It came from my mom in the morning, and though saddened, I took it in stride. I continued my daily tasks as Mommy, with plans to visit my grandfather that evening. Just before heading over, I called my dad to get…
When I was learning to cook, I discovered a few things the hard way. Vanilla extract does not taste good by itself, baking chocolate is not the same as a candy bar, and forgetting to include key ingredients will result in something that might look like the picture in the cookbook, but won’t taste like…
“Community arises where the sharing of pain takes place, not as a stifling form of self-complaint, but as a recognition of God’s saving promises.” ~Henri Nouwen During a recent talk, Dallas pastor Matt Chandler described the difference between transparency and vulnerability. Transparency is letting people see what we are not afraid to share. Vulnerability is…
The first recognizable symptom occurs on our wedding anniversary, June 1, 2016. Not a maybe symptom, but a for-sure symptom. Something is wrong. A biopsy reveals what we suspected: endometrial cancer. The good news is the cancer cells are slow-growing, “grade 1.” The first surgeon I see about a hysterectomy pronounces this fact “awesome,” an…
I have the joy of raising two young boys. They are beautiful, messy, silly, and adventurous. They are also as different as different can be. One is timid, cautious, and thoughtful while the other is fearless, bold, and rough (to put it nicely.) One has stick-straight hair while the other has a head full of…