Honoring My Parents When I Live on the Other Side of the World
As I looked around the room of fellow expats at our International fellowship’s women’s retreat this spring, I had a sudden rather shocking realization: I was probably the oldest woman in the room! This was one of those defining moments. A “first time this has EVER happened to me” experience. Déjà vu, just like the […]
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 […]
Admitting that I’m Half the Problem
Based on the title of this post, it’s a long shot that you’ll read past this paragraph. But I think this week’s theme Admit creates such a powerful opportunity for us to share together the ways that we’ve been exposed to our own weaknesses and misconceptions. Do I need to spell out the ways we’ve […]
Welcome to the Table: The Serviette
The Serviette encourages people to share their tables in a way that bridges cultural and religious gaps, shows creativity, and serves others. Julie’s vision both for her blog and for the conversations she initiates with followers from around the world have impacted many. I am one who has been blessed by Julie’s all-encompassing heart and […]
Taste Re-Born
For my birthday every year, I asked my mom to make the same meal—turkey roast, cheesy hash browns and her famous lemon JELL-O “salad.” Only in the upper Midwest of the United States are “JELL-O” and “salad” in the same sentence. When you ask someone to bring a salad to a party you better specify […]
The Power of Chocolate Chip Cookies
One of the first treats I learned to bake as a young girl was chocolate chip cookies. My mom made sure we had two homemade cookies in our lunches each day for school, now she makes cookies regularly for her grandchildren, and my sister and I both had hundreds of homemade cookies at our wedding […]
Go Ahead … Invite Yourself Over
I like to think that I am quite the domestic woman, but I really struggled to find my creativity when I moved to SE Asia. I blocked myself from getting on Pinterest because I felt sad that Hobby Lobby was so far away and that the ingredients I was so used to using in comfort […]
Not Your Average Headache
The topic of intimacy in marriage is not the easiest thing to talk about let alone write up a whole post and throw it on the world wide web for all to see. We may joke about that side of marriage with a sister-in-law or whisper about our questions with a friend while our kids […]
Hope has a Name
It wasn’t the name her mother gave her. Her mother named her Power. I’ve only known her a week. But I’ve been dreaming of her for years. The little one who would join our family. The little one turned out to be almost six years old. And seeing as how I missed the first six […]
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 […]
A Letter to Singles
You are loved. Cherished, even. Not because you were brave enough to move overseas “alone.” Not because you ignored the caring relatives who asked, “How in the world will you find a husband over there?” You are loved. Adored, even. Not because you’re an independent thinker, a strong person. Not because you’ve sacrificed. You are […]
A Love Beyond Compare
Hesed is a truth that brings me to my knees in gratitude and worship. Let me explain. One of my friends in China was once in a terrible car accident. I will never forget the description she shared with me later on that first day in the hospital. The doctors weren’t sure if she would survive, […]