I count the days on the calendar. It’s been thirty-four days since I last saw my counsellor. I’ve been avoiding her with every fibre of my being because I know what comes next: the next time I see her, we are going to talk about the hard parts of my story that leave me sad and sick and trembling. I know this because the last session we had, I told ...
Our culture is whirring with conversation and commentary about the opinions of leaders -- church, political, entertainment, industry, community, and even Instagram famous. We all want to take a stance on who they are, what their qualifications are, and who has been given permission to lead. I’ve seen more arguments than dialogue. As God’s ...
I'll never forget sitting in my mentor's house in college and learning about core lies -- the lies we believe deep in our core about ourselves, others, and God. Learning about my own core lies was a game-changer in my life. Later, after having kids, and in the early days of my first blog (which is no longer around), I interviewed that college ...
I'd walked the same trails hundreds of times. But I wasn't prepared for the shock of what awaited me that day. Instead of lush green prairie grasses and towering cottonwood trees in full-leafed glory, I saw burned earth and blackened tree limbs. For about a hundred yards ahead and to each side of my trail, black death covered my scenery with ...
Loving other people can feel like stepping across a field of land mines sometimes. Perhaps this is truest of all online. Politics. Social issues. The latest offense at school or work or the fast-food drive-through. It’s all there. Angry words, sharp-pointed opinions, the shrapnel of bitterness and envy. Why do we do this to each other? I’ve come ...
God remains the strength of my heart. Psalm 73:26 (NLT) I sit in a darkened auditorium with my mom on one side of me and my daughter on the other. The three of us have come to hear Priscilla Shirer as part of her Fervent tour. She talks about who we are as women and all God created us to be. She also shares that we have a very real enemy who ...
The Bible features so many women who lived courageously despite unusual, difficult, or even frightening circumstances. From women who were called to step into leadership roles to women who had to rely on God’s daily provision for their needs, these heroes of the Bible can show us exactly how to lean into the strength of the Lord when our own isn’t ...
My heaving chest is a combustion engine blowing exhaust into the cold night air. I hyperventilate. A hand on my shoulder pushes a wet washcloth towards me to wipe my nose, eyes, and the vomit from my lips. My eyes squeeze shut tight causing more tears to spill down my cheeks. “I’m going to die,” I gasp. “My heart . . . it hurts. I can’t, I ...
A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who ...
As an early adopter of social media, it has always intrigued me that the conversations I listen to online don't always mirror the conversations I'm having in real life. I can't say for sure why that is, but I'm thankful for the courageous voices that teach, inspire, and challenge me to think really hard about really hard things. It is a ...
