This Word Called Hope
Hope. This word that I say dozens of times a day. This principle that I’ve been taught to cling to and rest in. This reality that is meant to be always accessible, trustworthy and fool-proof when it is placed and aligned with the Father and His heart. This security, safe place, refuge and promise. How […]
How To Not Be Overtaken By Fear
How does connecting with God and His perfect love cast out fear in your life? Enveloped in the lived truth of God’s furious love, insecurity is swallowed up in solidity of agape, and anguish and fear give way to hope and desire. ~Brennan Manning There is a certain fear that comes with moving overseas; not […]
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 […]
Looking Back on a Sudden Disaster
It took every ounce of bravery I could muster to sit in the front seat of the car again (and even longer to get behind the wheel). I couldn’t bear to cross an intersection without holding on for dear life or flinching or even crying out “watch out!” Two short days before this courageous return […]
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 […]
When We Fear
As women, we instinctively understand what it means to fear. We fear that God won’t meet the desires of our heart. We fear being insignificant or ordinary. We fear rejection. We fear cancer stealing our lives or the lives of our loved ones. We fear tragedies and accidents. Fear is our default emotion. Living abroad, […]
Becoming a Tent Dweller
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1 We want to hear God’s call on our life and know we’re headed in the […]
Don’t Trust Anyone
Don’t put your trust in anyone! I’m serious. People will offend you. Forget you. Disappoint you. Betray you. Leave you. Fail you. They will move away, leaving gaping holes in your heart. They will misunderstand you, leaving you bewildered. They will break your confidence, break your spirit, break your heart. Do not put your trust […]
Embracing the Thorn
I’ve been airing a bunch of dirty laundry lately on the internet. Infertility. Divorce. Infidelity. A google search of my name pulls up links that make my life look like one long train wreck. While they are not my favorite stories, I don’t mind telling them in hopes that they will encourage and strengthen someone […]
When Trusting God Leads To More Releasing
Have you heard of My One Word? I have a number of friends who participate in it by asking God to give them a specific word each year. I’ve been intrigued by the practice and encouraged to hear how God has used those words in the lives of my friends. This year I decided to […]
Jesus Loves Me This I Sometimes Know
I used to think trusting God meant trusting Him for the circumstances of my life. I used to think it meant trusting God for my future. But this past year God has completely overhauled my understanding of Trust. I’m married to a man who has all the gifts. Seriously. You name it, he’s got it. […]
Sorrow
You’d never guess it when you meet her. She’s a vivacious, “life of the party” kind of gal. Her laughter is as bright and full as her head of red curls. But my dear friend, Brooke Holliday … she knows sorrow, the kind of pain I can’t bear to imagine. For years now, I’ve watched […]