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Encouragement for every season of lifeWhen Grace is What You Really Need
I see it often in my social media news feeds—judgments made, people labeled and dismissed. Opinions vary far and wide on anything and everything, and people are easily disregarded if they act in a way we don’t think is right or believe something different than us. We...
A Christmas Box to Treasure {DIY}
Once upon a time, there was an amazing young man in my first hour seventh grade science class. Over the years, there were hundreds of great young people in my classes, but this particular young man, Josh, was special. After our oldest son passed away, Josh...
When You Feel Like You’re On Fire
I heard the screaming first. Running from my daughters’ bedroom, where I was supervising my oldest while she chose books and Barbies for bedtime, I raced into the master bathroom. My 3-year-old was still in the shower where I’d left her with the water turned off. As...
Doing it Afraid/Becca’s Story
This is the latest article in our new series called “Every Heart has a Story to Tell.” As we head towards our first Thrive Conference in October, our desire is share how Every Story Matters. Please check back each week to see how God is moving in women’s lives and let...
Encouraging Others to Flourish
It was just a little note. I prayed as I wrote, slipped it into the mail, and went on about my day. My unexpected note arrived in the midst of her rough day and, in that moment, was exactly what she need to hear. The Lord knew what she needed. My note, written days in...
Your Joke About That LGBT Person Does Not Feel Like Jesus
As I sit here in tears, it should be noted that I seriously considered not posting this. Seemed too divisive. But reading another post by someone I know and love that is at the expense of someone Jesus came for, fought for, died for, has me, well... I recently shared...
The Fog Bank
It was dusk as I drove on the lonely highway through the woodsy countryside. My two young children were in the car with me, and I was watching the road before me carefully for the deer that so often frequented the area. As I drove on and the sun slipped below the...
Beyond a Doubt/Marlys’ Story
“From as far back as I can remember, I knew I would end up in Africa, but I didn’t like the idea at all, because I don’t like bugs and dirt, and I didn’t even think about the snakes.” This was the introductory response to my recent interview with Marlys Kingsriter—the...
I Didn’t Mean to Hear It
I didn’t mean to hear it. I sat down in an empty “comfy” spot at the coffee shop, and only a purse occupied any of the seats around me. It looked like a safe enough location for my ten-minute reprieve between morning meetings. And then they returned. A woman (thus the...
Rally the Troops
Ping. “Oh, I’ve got a new text message,” I think to myself. And then, Ping, Ping, Ping. And I know, almost without looking, it’s “the girls.” Something is up and “the troops” are being called into action. These three women are some of my closest friends. If I’m having...
