As we go about our kitchen remodel this month, we’re making surprising decisions. Put up a rail by the stairs. Make a spot for cleaning supplies on a high shelf. No low glass cabinet doors. These are all precautions we cleared out of our lives years ago as the babies we raised in this house…
“Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.” (Deut. 10:16 NIV) I am definitely a stiff-necked person at times. I would rather do things my own way than God’s. My own input is the only one I listen to. I completely ignore the leading of the Holy Spirit. I am confident that…
I was two years old when E.T. the Extraterrestrial was released in theaters. This sweet (if also sad and scary) story about a wayward alien and his friendship with a boy named Elliot was my first movie. As my Mom tells it, I reacted very little during the film. Because I was so little, she…
John 13:34-35 says, “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (CSB). These words have inspired millions of people over the centuries. But as a child,…
The other day, I received a call from a friend. She was in tears, overwhelmed with her to-do list—not just work stress, but also a kiddo struggling with mean girls, an aging mom needing rides to the doctor’s office, and a looming deadline for her writing. Worse, she felt guilty because she couldn’t figure out…
When I was growing up, I sometimes felt like I didn’t fit in at church. I never doubted God’s love and presence, but I didn’t feel very good at being a church kid. I wanted to be a good Christian, but I didn’t know if I could ever be like the “good Christians” I thought…