Standing outside the sitter’s house, knocking on the entrance door to her in-home childcare center, I notice through the window that the toddlers are toddling freely and the bigs are glued to the TV. Minutes later, the caregiver swings the door open with shock on her face. I was early. She was being unattentive. How… Continue reading Exchanging Mom Guilt 2.0 for the Grace of God
I read somewhere long ago that you begin letting your children go at the moment they’re born.Shocking right?It didn’t take long after hearing that to begin to understand what it meant. It’s an attitude of the heart mamas. A big picture view of what is now, and what is coming. Prepare early. I’m serious.This Christmas… Continue reading When Grief Tries to Steal Our Joy
On my way to work this week I snapped this pic. If I'm being honest, I thought about the last scene in Grease where Danny and Sandy drive their convertible right up into the clouds and turn to wave goodbye - that was right before my more holy thought of God himself unrolling the clouds… Continue reading Holy Work is Hard Work
"So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” John 11:16 As I was raising my children, it seemed that every few months they would come home with a new story of someone putting a label on them. This would take me back to… Continue reading When Labels Mislead
Have you ever wrestled with your own thoughts? Like, played devil's advocate with yourself over a decision or a conviction...to the point you feel like you've been in an actual wrestling match? Yeah, me too. In fact, I've been rolling a few things over in my head and heart recently that are frankly, tiring me… Continue reading Making Time to Wrestle
Pressure. I was walking today with 3 lb. weights in each hand. Swinging my arms with each step, feeling good about the exercise. As I held those weights, I realized there was a ripple effect taking place. Not only were my arms holding on tight, but my shoulders were benefitting from the swinging, which led… Continue reading When the Pressure Is On
Knots in my stomach. Constant urge to step in. Trouble focusing. All of these things paired with nights of waking up every hour just to roll over are symptoms of watching my children struggle. As young teens navigating their social lives and body changes, it was inevitable that my children would experience friendship issues. Finding… Continue reading Hang Tight Mama!
There are parts of motherhood that do not get talked about often. We post cute pictures on Instagram and share precious moments on Facebook that everyone wants to see. And that’s fine. But as with any job, motherhood can be difficult. As our children age, the job description stays the same, but the practical application… Continue reading Casting Our Cares When They Feel Too Heavy to Lift
Have you ever needed rest so badly that you stepped away from the noise, only to find someone else standing there, needing only what you can provide? Mama of littles whose husband travels for work, who needs just one uninterrupted night of sleep. The pastor who is interrupted while preparing Sunday’s sermon to counsel a… Continue reading Sometimes Our Weariness is a Precursor for a Miracle
It's still October and people are putting up their Christmas trees, hoping for a little sparkle in their homes and pep in their step. Or maybe, it's hope we are all searching for. A light at the end of this long tunnel. The rainbow after the storm. Where is it? Where is the end to… Continue reading Lessons from the Ark
I'm so tired y'all, are you?I was researching the Word tired the other day and stumbled across the Urban Dictionary definition:"When you're just done with all the bull crap in life."Can you relate? It's like I was curled up in a comfy bed a few months ago, snuggled with my favorite routines and people. Then… Continue reading When Our Tired Turns Into Tears
When hard things happen, there are many ways to cope. One of the most predominant reactions is...well...not to. We can either get so busy we don't leave room in our brain to spend time processing our experience, or, we make ourselves busy...so we don't have to spend time processing our experience. Amid stay-at-home orders and… Continue reading To the One Who Did Some Soul Searching While Quarantined
There's this town of Walnut Grove in Little House on the Prairie, where they cooked their food every. single. day. (Can you relate?) and made a big deal out of having guests over by dressing up and breaking out the good dishes. Families greeted their company as they came down the driveway, giddy with anticipation,… Continue reading When You Don’t Like the Season You’re In
I'm hopeful. I'm confident in my future. I'm honestly not afraid. For myself. Most of my social media "friends" share common values with me. That's just how it goes, right? While there are a handful of peeps that I disagree with politically or others who use the flowery language I stopped using years ago, like… Continue reading What Are You Afraid Of?
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on… Continue reading It Will Pass
After a four hour drive, getting settled into our hotel room and locating a restaurant within walking distance, my friend and I finally settled into a booth to get some dinner. We had been gifted tickets to see a popular Christian speaker and spend the night in a nice hotel before our day of soaking… Continue reading When One Act of Kindness Ripples Out of Sight
We don't realize how powerful our thoughts can be until we've been set down for a season. Physically, we may feel like we are being held against our will, but our minds are still rockin' and rollin' and boy can they cause a stir when they're all we seem to have left. My husband was… Continue reading When God Sets You Down
If these boat fenders could talk. They've traveled through oceans, rivers, and lakes and kept both large and small vessels from becoming damaged or wrecked. Their outward appearance tells that story with scrapes, dents and faded colors. But, they have managed to keep their shape. Fashioned with sustainable form, designed to take the brunt...to absorb… Continue reading Standing in the Gap
“But that isn't right. The King of Beasts shouldn't be a coward,'" said the Scarecrow. 'I know it,' returned the Lion, wiping a tear from his eye with the tip of his tail. 'It is my great sorrow, and makes my life very unhappy. But whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast.'… Continue reading Living a Life of Courageous Faith
Playing tug-of-war as a kid, I can remember the sting of having the rope snatched out of my hand after what seemed like hours of grunting and pulling to get the W for our team. My hands would burn and turn red and swell for a while. They needed time to recover. To cool… Continue reading Trusting the Waymaker When We Can’t See the Way
Every crossroads beckons a decision. Every decision will have consequences. Every consequence will not only affect us, but many times, other people. I've just walked through a season of decision making in one area of my life. I'm about to enter another. It was stressful. It was exhausting. It can take a toll. But… Continue reading In the Gray
As I write this today, I still have a mother. A mom who is on her feet, cooking, decorating and loving her husband of nearly 50 years. I also have a mom who travels from doctor's appointment to doctor's appointment, needs help bathing, has shrunk five inches in the last two years and has a… Continue reading The Pathway of Anticipated Loss
"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist..." Ephesians 6:14a truth noun the truth : the real facts about something : the things that are true : the quality or state of being true : a statement or idea that is true or accepted as true My feelings are trying to hijack my life. It's as if my… Continue reading When Your Feelings Try to Be the Boss of You
Several years ago a relative of mine received an interesting phone call. It seems that when her father passed away some 30 years before, that He had ownership of a couple of pieces of land out in Texas. Untouched ground, just sitting there. A big 'ol company wanted to test the soil and see if… Continue reading The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Several years ago, I felt a strong calling to love on single mothers that were in our community. In my search to find out what single mothers needed and desired, I came across a woman in Michigan who had been doing life with single moms for years, helping to meet their needs, keeping them engaged… Continue reading When we Obey, God Will Make a Way
Have you ever been on a vacation and had trouble relaxing? Women especially seem to struggle with this. Our minds are planning what our family will eat every meal, what time we should start getting the children ready to go have some fun and how to keep the sink from piling up with dirty dishes… Continue reading Making Intentional Changes to Our Human Tendencies
What if busyness was an actual muscle in our bodies? Like a bicep that thrives with weight resistant curls. Or the heart that strengthens with consistent cardio activity. What if the need to be busy strengthened and grew each time we flexed this muscle? If busyness were a muscle we would have to work it… Continue reading Becoming the Boss of Busyness
" He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:29-31 Honesty… Continue reading Dear Mama of a Strong-Willed Child,
Both of my children have birthdays this season and every year about this time I go back and recollect the memories of the labor pains it took to birth them. I find myself reminiscing about how big I was as I approached the impending due dates. How I felt, what I looked like, how I… Continue reading Staying the Course in Spite of the Cramps
Driving home the other day from work, I could hardly keep my eyes open. The week was coming to an end and the days of an alarm clock buzzing in the dark were catching up with me. I contemplated whether I would come in and make myself a tall iced coffee...or stretch out across my… Continue reading Resting Shouldn’t Be This Hard
"So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him." Luke 5:11 " Come on now, jump! One...two...three!" As our son stood on the edge of the swimming pool, I did my best to coax him to jump in. He stood, watching the other children do what their swim teachers were instructing… Continue reading All In
There is no greater fear than when it seems all hope is lost. Have you ever felt this way? Hopeless? John Maxwell has an acronym for hope... "Holding On, Praying Expectantly" When we are holding on to hope, we are waiting...and waiting...and waiting... That holding on part can be tough. I picture myself standing in… Continue reading Remaining Hopeful When You Feel Helpless
It's easy to think that we are tough, independent women who can do it all on our own. But, what happens when life takes a turn and we realize that we can't do it alone? I remember being pregnant with my first child and was so sick that I lost 10 pounds right off the… Continue reading We Are Better Together
Plans. We make them. We keep them. We break them. We are informed of them. We look forward to them. We dread them. I remember years ago making plans to go away to college and pursue a degree in education. Instead, God interrupted my plan with a man and a hard right turn. I landed… Continue reading When Our Plans Get Interrupted
What do we say to someone who has suffered great loss? How can we adequately express the deep sorrow that we feel for someone when they are in mourning? I recently had the privilege of hearing someone speak at a Memorial Service and they said something like this... "What if we all acted like… Continue reading When Sitting Shoulder to Shoulder is All You Can Do
As we sat in the snow covered cemetery under a big flapping tent in folding metal chairs, I watched as her hand gingerly reach over to brace herself on the nearby headstone. She used it as leverage to push herself up out of her chair, into the cold wind, and stand to speak. My mom.… Continue reading Finding Strength When You Feel Shaky
Surely he will realize how disruptive he is being. For heaven's sake, church has started! The lights are dimmed. The opening video is playing. People are seated quietly. Why does he keep talking...and laughing...and talking some more? And who is he talking with? It takes two, right? Who is the other person who is not… Continue reading Putting our Thoughts in Their Rightful Place
Real Talk About the Beating We Can Take When We're Trying to Find Direction We've all been there. Decisions need to be made. Clarity is elusive. Discernment is on vacation. What school should I send my kids too? Where should I work? Should I work at all? Should I start that business? Should I… Continue reading Bumper Cars and Closed Doors
We Weren't Meant To Do It Alone "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." James 1:5 "What in the world were you thinking?" This was a staple of my prayer life when my children were young. Yes, I… Continue reading Parenting Pre-Schoolers
Choosing to Trust the Author of Our Stories in the Midst of Hard Chapters I recently took a day to put the top down and take some back roads. I love taking in the sights of small town America and imagining how those towns first came to be. Who settled there first, and who keeps… Continue reading Turn The Page
"Well, that will leave a mark!!" Have you ever injured yourself and thought or said those words to yourself immediately following? It's no fun. Pain that has been inflicted on us, whether intentionally or not, leaves a mark. Here's what Merriam Webster says about it: MARK -an impression (as a scratch, scar, or stain) made… Continue reading Finding Purpose in Our Scars
I was recently talking with a friend and she said something that resonated deeply with me. We were talking about goals and dreams and what may be out in front of us that we want to attain. We were talking about how to get to those places and how sometimes we have to… Continue reading Be Easy On Yourself
Years ago, my husband was doing some contracting work on a home and he fell off of the roof landing on his head. He was working alone (which we had a long talk about later). After he woke up, I got… Continue reading Sometimes Tears Are Necessary
Sometimes Mother's Day is tough. Being a mom isn't always fun, some days it's just hard. Unfortunately, some of those hard days or seasons may fall on or around Mother's Day. I know they have for me. I've had a Mother's Day or two that I faced with dread. I've been in the trenches, battling… Continue reading When “Mother’s Day” Is Hard
Have you ever thought you knew just exactly where God was taking you and before you knew it, you were nowhere near that place? Maybe you can see it coming and it looks so "good", it looks so "right" and it just "makes sense" that that's the door which will open and you shall walk… Continue reading “Chill Out Daughter”-Love, God
Got your attention didn't I? Recently I wrestled with knowing God can but not knowing if He would (fill in the blank). I caught myself wanting to "name it and claim it" when I was unsure of what God was doing. And I'm NEVER sure of what He is doing. He doesn't inform like that.… Continue reading A Crisis of Faith
Have you ever needed to talk to someone to get something off your chest and your spouse or bff just weren't going to satisfy that need? Ever felt like no one really knows you? At least not all of you? We crave it. We were built for it. We need it. Intimacy. 1: a state… Continue reading Finding Strength Through Intimacy
This is hard stuff. It seems that every circle I am in, someone's marriage is in a slow crumble. Every. Circle. Some married for a short time, others for years. Some without children, others with kids. Some young, some older. When we are preparing to marry we dream BIG!! Those dreams… Continue reading I’m Sorry About Your Marriage…
Ladies, some of us seem to need permission to get away by ourselves, for even just a couple of hours. This is it. This is your permission...your encouragement...your convincing argument that you MUST...WE must, make this a practice.
Simple Faith 