We miss out on the gift of knowing God in a real, experiential way… When we always pretend to be okay, strong or together. When we hide in busyness, entertainment or crowds. When we can’t admit our need for help,…
vulnerability is my best and worst friend
Anna is sick and her normally active self wants to be held more minutes than not. Held because she is tired. Held because she doesn’t want to be alone. Held because she needs extra tenderness. Held because she knows I’m…
from ‘religiously right’ to Jesus, only Jesus
I sat in the pew, taking notes, attentive to the pastor in front of me reading the story of a Canaanite woman’s encounter with Jesus (Matthew 15:21-28). I confess the story is one I mostly glaze over, because it seems…
one of the best habits we can cultivate
I know what is said about making a new habit: it takes 21 days. But what if a lifetime is needed? There is one habit I have been forming (yes, still forming) consciously and intensely and clumsily in my adult…
chronic pain: exchanging my brokenness for God’s wholeness
There is something about suffering. For those of you who read this not near me on a daily basis, a little context: for 2+ years, I experienced constant pain in my neck. What began as a (surprising) pinched nerve after…
My desire to be good enough grew bigger than my desire for God
In grace, He leads you where you didn’t plan to go in order to produce in you what you couldn’t achieve on your own. In these moments, He works to alter the values of your heart so that you let…
releasing more of me to receive more of God
I need a daily intervention for this reality: choosing Jesus means you live entirely for Someone else. Choosing Jesus changes the game from “you’re the best, you can do this!” to “God is the best. You can’t, but He can.”…
a godly woman’s strength is hope in her God
The deepest root of a Christian woman is hope in God, and it yields this strong tree of fearlessness in the face of suffering. Do you remember my favorite verse in the Proverbs 31 woman chapter? Proverbs 31:25: Strength and dignity are her…
asking God for the priorities I need
Sitting around a living room with friends I have come to love, talking about God and the Bible, is one of my favorite things about church. The other week it was Matthew 6, next week it’s discipleship, and the next we…
putting my scale in the attic
It’s amazing how distorted my thinking can be sometimes… in the name of self-discipline, of course. Body image and the number on the scale is an example of that distorted thinking. This one was a tough one for me to…
heart drops, vulnerability, and being seen
The other night was a women’s ministry event complete with good food, laughter, and creativity. The speaker’s bread and butter was the ministry of relationships. Her recent book is all about listening well, loving those in front of you, and…
getting what I prayed for: change
Have you ever gone through a season, challenging or joyful, and realized at the end of it that it was what you had prayed for? Or asked God to change something about you and He does it in a way…