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Encouragement for every season of lifeSafety Nets
The other day, Kyle asked jokingly why my friend Julie and I argue—or what I like to simply call banter—so much. “Because she is safe for me,” I responded without thinking. And it’s true. Together, through our mutual love and respect for one another, we are allowed to...
True Life & Radiant Health
This summer, I have the amazing privilege of leading the garden club at one of the Minnesota Teen Challenge houses. It is a job where God opened the door and I delightedly ran through. Once a week, May through October, I arrive for two hours of planting, weeding, and...
Chosen
While reading through Exodus 35 recently this verse jumped out at me: “Then Moses said to the Israelites, ‘See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,’” Exodus 35:30 (emphasis mine). Imagine that. Imagine being called by God to...
Triple Berry Chicken Salad with Sweet Onion Vinaigrette
There's nothing like fresh berries in the summer. We wait all winter with great anticipation for that first bite of a fresh-picked berry and it seems like every time fresh berries show up in the house, they're gone in no time flat. One of my favorite things growing up...
The Pull of Home
We moved to a new town the summer before I began fourth grade. A shy bookworm, I had stick-straight blonde hair down to my rear, 90s bangs, and an affinity for wearing a Mickey Mouse tunic and leggings. It was summer, so without school to help me meet other kids, I...
Picnic Perfect Cake
When I was a kid, we spent nearly every New Year’s weekend with my parent’s college friends, known to us as Aunt Janet and Uncle Bailey. They had two kids who were close in age to us and we always had a ton of fun together. Being as we lived in Southern California,...
My Pastor-Husband
This is nothing like a sister-wife. But I believe that having a pastor-husband saved me from the brink of nearly losing myself to postpartum anxiety after the birth of my second child. My steady, anchoring husband has always been the one in our relationship with two...
Beaten, but Thriving
Recently a hail storm hit our home and surrounding area. We were fortunate to not have damage to our home or cars, but my gardens were smashed to bits. My front hosta and water fountain area took the brunt of all the hail stones coming together off the roof of our...
Don’t Forget to Celebrate
“It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth. And if one falls down, the other helps.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, MSG) "Mom. Our neighbor was right; turning seven is THE BEST." My son continued on excitedly, describing a school day...
Got Grit?
On our recent vacation, my husband wanted to hike to the tippy-top of Black Elk Peak to view the Black Hills of South Dakota from a magnificent fire tower made entirely of stone, perched on a summit high above everything else for hundreds of miles. It sounded so...
