Waiting as Long as He Says
“God, the one and only—I’ll wait as long as he says. Everything I need comes from him. […] My help and glory are in God—granite-strength and safe-harbor-God—So trust him absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for him. God is a safe place to be.” Psalm 62: 1a, 7-8 The Message “I will wait […]
Forgiveness: The Mirror Image of Love
My siblings and I were deeply hurt by our dad when we were growing up. He broke our mother’s heart by taking up a mistress and bringing her into our home. He also constantly insulted us and our mum, and in the process, our love for him turned to hatred. Anytime we would meet to […]
An Adventure in Forgiveness
The topic of forgiveness can quickly become overly heavy and difficult. Sometimes, by just hearing the word, my memory kicks into full gear. The heart-pounding emotions of yesterday’s hurtful events can sap my energy or re-break my heart. Without much prompting, my mind flies down a spiderwebbed, dusty, dark tunnel to places I might not […]
The Anatomy of Rest
I am a bit of an exercise enthusiast. I started out slow with Pilates and walking before moving on to running with light weight lifting; and now, my most recent switch, is to heavier weight lifting with more intense cardio. I love it. It is an amazing stress reliever and keeps my body and soul […]
Let go. Hold On.
During the brainstorming process for this post I wrote three different introductions. By the end of the third one, I realized my words weren’t honest words. They were words which at one time were honest, words which would make a good outline for a post. But they weren’t words describing how I actually feel right […]
A Grace Greater than Betrayal
As someone who has worked with middle school, I am all to familiar with betrayal. Fifth grade seems to be the year where many of us have our first brush with a friend who shares what we told them in confidence or talks behind our back. Fifth grade seems to be the year where many […]
This is My Story: Recovering from the Dark Places
I’d prefer not to tell you my whole story. Just the good parts – you know, the parts we write about to our family and friends back home. The parts that will make you like me or admire me, and prove I’m on the road to glory. But THIS is the story He’s led me […]
The Blessing in the Burning
I was twelve when my house burned down. We were playing cards in our living room, in our log cabin, in small town Outer Mongolia when we heard what sounded like kids throwing rocks on the roof. I remember my Dad running into the house yelling fire. I remember running down our street to the […]
Unpacking ALL of the Suitcases
My eyes wandered over the piles of stuff. Boxes, bags, cords, paper, stickers, dishes, curios. So. Much. Stuff. And so little space. The storage room was already piled high with boxes and books. The hall closet was full of jackets, Christmas décor and wedding gifts. The bedroom closet contained clothing and decorating items. None of […]
The Desert Shall Blossom
Our worldwide online retreat is next week! Choose a day or half day and experience a personal spiritual retreat that comes to you. ****** “In the desert ways I’ll sing / Spring, O Well, forever spring…”- Holy Spirit, Truth Divine, Samuel Longfellow It is my first dry season in Congo. I moved to the mid-sized city […]
What if You Could Change Your Story
I recently took a walk in our local park just as the leaves were starting to emerge. I looked up, then felt that familiar pang that God was trying to say something to me. I remembered those teenagers when I was five. And for once I didn’t remember what they did. I remembered what I […]
It’s Time to Trade the Yoke
At the beginning of this year I sensed God pressing the pause button on my writing. Not now, He said, not yet. I nodded and said OK. You’ve got stuff in your heart that needs to come out, He said — black, tarry, sticky stuff. I sighed and told Him I knew. There was a […]