Friday afternoons are a flurry of activity at my house. I chip away at a mountain of laundry as my kids gather Legos and Littlest Pet Shop figures, putting them away in baskets and drawers. We work as a team to tidy up a house that never seems to be completely clean, a pitfall of…
When we ask God to show us the way out of our dilemmas or despair, do we expect his answers to look a certain way? This past Christmas season, I watched the old film It’s a Wonderful Life for the first time in years. Other than a few iconic clips, I had forgotten most of…
“Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.” ~Mary Tyler Moore I have learned about the beauty, power, and bravery of failure from my daughters and their theater friends. Both of my girls are actresses. As part of their college…
I know the catch in your lungs that tells you you’re not enough, that today’s needs outstrip the strength in your bones and the fight in your gut. You heard God call, but you feel deep inside that it’s beyond you. Your heart and mind begin to wrestle. What if God asks something of me…
New Year, New You? I’m the worst at New Year’s Resolutions. Maybe you’re like me. I have high hopes and lofty aspirations on January 1. Then, slowly but surely, life gets in the way and my resolve fades. My resolutions are pushed down the to-do list until they drop all the way off. Part of…
In the past six months, I’ve watched two of our former college students battle cancer, a friend lose her house to a flood, another friend lose a child, and another friend lose her husband. I say I’ve watched because I haven’t done much else. I did read blog posts and hit “Like.” I prayed. And I…