I remember waking up and feeling this overwhelming heaviness. “Happy Birthday! You’re thirty!” my husband smiled and shouted, excited for the day that lay ahead of us. I walked out to the k...
If you see a small creature scampering in the woods or along a path during winter, you can bet the little guy has weighed the pros and cons of being seen. In my own corner of the Colorado pines, ...
Stowed away in the attic for decades, dust floats from the diary that I kept from ages fourteen to eighteen. Paging through memories of old, I’m instantly transported to pivotal successes that...
My dad’s high school yearbook told the story of a popular teen with the world at his fingertips — track star, editor of the school paper, class council president. Countless black and white ph...
What if the how-to’s of hosting people in your home didn’t have to get in the way of the ‘get-to’ of welcoming people into your heart and pointing them to Christ? For many of us, invitin...
Once upon a time, in a not-so-distant past, my family listed our house twice in two years. We moved three times over those two years – in with my mom, back to the ‘sale pending’ house, into...
Setting priorities can be difficult sometimes. To-do lists scream at us, and our quandary is which task we should tackle first. I was a Martha with a large dose of perfectionism, but a defective ...
When I hang his shirts next to mine in the closet, there are surf brands, the same ones he wore when he had hair bleached white by the sun and waves. When his skin was tan and his mouth tasted li...
Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the bod...
I wonder if Jesus really thought about our salvation as a sacrifice or more like a privilege, an honor to lay down His life to spend eternity with His friends? For the joy – the holy privilege ...
In 2004, country music artist Tim McGraw released a song that would land him a Grammy and go on to become the number one country song of the year. “Live Like You Were Dying” had crossover app...
Do any of these scenarios ring true to you? Inviting people into your home feels more like inviting judgment on your entertaining skills. You want to welcome others in but get stuck because makin...
You are my God, and I will give you thanks. You are my God; I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever. Psalm 118:28-29 CSB Getting On With You...
I sat next to the wall, unable to sing. My eyes followed the lyrics on the screen while I formed the words with my mouth, but nothing came out. I clapped my hands when everyone else clapped their...
On October 19, 2017 our neighborhood was blocked off and we couldn’t get back home. It was the third shooting in 11 days and the police wouldn’t let anyone enter the perimeter they created. M...
As our family was leaving the house, our middle child fell down the stairs busting his chin open. My husband and I scrambled to get everyone back inside and assess the situation. Our son was drip...