Kylie sat a safe six feet apart in a circle of teenage girls. As their youth leader, she was eager to hear how each would answer the ice breaker question:  Name three things you’re thankful for. Kylie’s question was received with a wall of blank stares; a sea of deer-in-the-headlights expressions, as if she’d asked…

The past few weeks have been hard ones for me. In addition to the stress we all feel during this tumultuous 2020 season, my dad’s been hospitalized for over three weeks now. You have your own stress, too. We all seem to be living with our stress levels very near capacity, given everything that has…

The stress of 2020 has taken its toll. Fear. Anxiety. Loneliness. Hopelessness. Worry. These are real. We all battle them–sometimes on a daily basis. Breathe. You aren’t alone. Recently I’ve had several conversations with women who feel overwhelmed with fear and anxiety. I’ve heard gals say things like… I’m afraid life will never feel normal again.…

She tugged on my pant leg to get my attention. I bent down to be eye-level with my small daughter. Her chubby little hands formed a cup around my ear. Clearly, she had something on her mind; a request for my ears only. “Can you help me, Mommy?” Because I love her, I did. We may…

I saw her in the religion section of Barnes and Noble. Her eyes were wide, her mouth ajar; her expression an equal mixture of stunned and overwhelmed. And all she wanted to do was buy a Bible. I stopped to ask if I could help. “Why are there so many choices?” “How do I know…

Every once in a while I need to heed my own words. Yesterday was one of those days. I found myself wondering (more than once, I might add), what’s wrong with me today? Can you relate? If so, you’ll want to read on. I actually googled my own blog post–one I wrote a few years…

She was in the middle of a bona-fide meltdown. Like an old rubber-band, she’d been stretched too far one time too many. Looking back, I’m not sure why I acted as I did. I suspect it was simply because I understood the stress she felt. I pulled her onto my lap and wrapped my loving…

“I need wisdom, but it all feels so overwhelming!” We were about a mile into our walk this morning when my neighbor expressed something most of us can relate to on some level. I know I can. Decisions are difficult. Especially decisions where there are no clear-cut right or wrong answers. When we waffle about…

First, congratulations to the winners of last week’s book give away!  You were notified by email, so check those inboxes! And now for a little encouragement…   “Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see.” Edgar Allan Poe penned this is statement in November, 1845. In case you’re counting, that’s 175…

2020 seems like one giant re-route doesn’t it? We started the year–and a new decade–full of hopes, dreams and goals for what lay ahead. None of us anticipated the path 2020 would actually take. This week’s post is written by my friend and podcaster, Julie Pearson, who shares an excerpt from her new devotional book, Better…

The word “joy” hardly describes our common experience the last few months. Frankly, it’s time we put a little joy back into life. Why? Because, as Nehemiah put it, “The joy of the Lord is your strength”. (Nehemiah 8:10) But how? Recently I read words written by my friend, Jean E. Jones, that woke something…

All the cute Instagram pictures and Facebook posts are a lie. Even for those of us who are homebodies, forced shelter in place for weeks on end is not a picnic in the park (Oh, the days when that was a possibility!). It doesn’t matter how many closets you’ve cleaned, puzzles you’ve completed, family dinners…

It’s odd–surreal really–to think that one person’s sickness, on the other side of the globe, has affected every person on our planet. Life as we once knew it has changed. As a result, we’re fearful, we’re lonely, and we’re isolated. We worry and we wonder, how did this all happen? Why did it happen? When…

“Take care of yourself!” How many times have you heard that phrase? How many times have you said it yourself? Probably more than you can count. But now, more than ever, self-care must be a priority. I know what you’re thinking: I’m busy taking care of everyone else. I’m  busy working from home. I’m so…

I walked into Trader Joe’s just before 9am, in plenty of time to beat the crowds. Or so I thought. Lines of people, with grocery carts heaped high, stretched from the cashiers to the back wall. Shelves were bare and, in some cases, empty. There was not one item in the frozen food section. Not…

Hope. Life is joyless without it. But how do you get it? How do you maintain it? Occasionally, a friend peels back the layers of her life and allows us to peek inside the inner workings of her heart. In doing so, she unearths a way of thinking, or doing, or living that allows us…

“God didn’t come through and I’m not sure I can’t believe anymore.” The confession broke my heart. I found myself wishing I could reach across the table, take her sweet face in my hands, and take away all her pain, hurt and confusion. Can you relate? How do you respond when you feel like God…

Have you ever prayed hoping to feel a burden released, but don’t? Have you ever prayed wanting to believe, but can’t? Have you ever prayed for something over, and over, and over, but see no change? Most of us can relate. I know I can. However, some people know how to pray in a way…

“Mom, why do we give gifts at Christmas?” I was driving down the highway when Ashton asked this question from the backseat of our black SUV. She must have been six or seven, tops, and every Christmas, from that one to this, I replay our conversation in my mind. Because while we’ve been planning, shopping,…

Where are you, God? You’ve asked the question. So have I. The question of where God is when we hurt is a universal cry–one whispered by all humanity in the face of pain, heartache and suffering. Oh sure, we may never ask the question aloud, but inside our fragile souls, we wonder. We wonder in the…

Kylie sat snuggled in a circle of 8thgrade girls. As their youth leader, she was eager to hear how each would answer the ice breaker question:  Name three things you’re thankful for. “Food, family and friends” the first girl declared boldly. “Food, family and friends,” said the second girl, too. As did the third. Not…

If this is your first time here, welcome!  Hundreds of you have recently subscribed and I couldn’t be more excited for you to join this community. I hope you’ll pull up a chair, make yourself comfortable and find the wisdom you need for the life you want! So today, I thought I should simply be…