Eighteen months ago, my husband and I were co-teachers of an adult Sunday school class full of people we considered friends. The eight couples who regularly attended were people with whom we shared our lives—the good and the bad—and they did the same. We studied God’s Word together, we prayed for one another, and we…
I pride myself in having a very low-key schedule. My kids are still toddlers and preschoolers, so I try not to plan too much. In fact, I rarely plan anything for weekday evenings in order to guard our time as a family. We are very active in church, I host a weekly Bible study in…
I returned home from walking my dog to find a note taped to my mailbox along with a bag of dog—well, you know. My neighbor across the street witnessed me allowing my dog to do his business in the natural, wooded area of their property and then burying said business under a pile of pine…
I’m not a good lover. Let me pause before you think I just handed you more information than you care to receive, like a bad Facebook post. Here is what I mean: I don’t know how to love like Christ loved. I simply can’t reach it. I know this because a pile of dirty laundry…
Earlier this year, I experienced a period of great loneliness, grief, and anxiety. In the wake of profound loss and an ongoing battle to juggle caregiving, childrearing, and mental illness, I found myself with a thousand acquaintances but what seemed like no close friends. At first, I focused on my own insecurities and tried to…
Our recent move meant our sons, who are in fourth and sixth grade, would have to switch schools at the beginning of the fourth quarter, so before we committed, we carefully weighed the pros and cons. We prayed daily for guidance and wisdom, and ultimately a clear path lay before us. This was the second…