Single? Why you shouldn’t wait to love your life
The truth is this: trading the expectation of settledness for singleness hurts. It just does. But pain is not the only truth.
How to have the Christmas you really want
Everything is shimmering, red and gold. Stores are brimming with baubles that sing of the season, and it’s easy to get caught up in them. Still, the craving for new and pretty makes my heart feel weary and hollow. Is this the source of the Christmas magic? Is this the holiday I want? I want […]
Discouraged? Ashamed? You need to hear these 5 words
I was twenty and terrified, standing unannounced on their porch on a hot July night. My legs froze and nausea filled me. I felt like every moment was never-ending, like I was eternally dying inside. Before coming, I’d meticulously covered the long gashes on my thighs. I was there to tell the truth, but I […]
The secret behind my blog
Some of you have asked about writing and how my little blog came to be. The short answer is this: I took a free webinar a few years back with a guy named Jeff Goins that jump-started this whole thing. He’s always offering amazing, free training for writers. If that sounds interesting, click here to sign […]
How to live a richly beautiful life: 3 simple ingredients
There’s a painful space between what is and what should be, between hope’s conception and fulfillment. We live in this gap with the tension of unfulfilled dreams. The heartache of loss. The sickness of deferred hope. Life isn’t quite what we expected. We’re longing for wholeness or relationships or children, mending grief or marking time in kitchens and cubicles. Amidst soul […]
This is how to find the sense of purpose you’re missing
This newlywed season is strange and lovely, the end and birth of two lives at once. I hoped and prayed for years to be here. Now, I wouldn’t change it for the world. But there are some things that surprise me about this season, longings unexpected sprouting up. Huge life changes breed questions of near-existential […]
Free Coffee Giveaway!
This is day 5 of a 7-Day Blogging Challenge hosted by Jeff Goins, and this is my FAVORITE challenge yet! I’m doing a GIVEAWAY! You know I love coffee and giving gifts. Details at the end! There are a lot of incredible coffee shops in Nashville, but The Well is my favorite. I fell in […]
The Ugly Truth About Influence
They told us be strong, be put-together. They told us stand in the place of strength. It’s in the mythology of leaders, of politicians and public figures, and sometimes even in the church. Influencers are sturdy oaks, unbending: refuge in their strength. But these unyielding oaks, these sturdy-and-strong are not the ones who will positively […]
How to (Really) Help Hurting Friends: The Art of Not Fixing
Her face is wet with tears, her trembling hands twisting and untwisting a tissue. Her words are grief and sorrow and fear. My heart cracks in me, full of my friend’s choking hurt. And I can’t fix it. I can’t fix it for any of my hurting friends. These weeks between winter and spring have been […]
The Surprising Truth About Eating Disorders
Note: Many of you know I work in a residential treatment center for young women, including those who have eating disorders. Since this is National Eating Disorder Awareness week, I thought I’d share a bit of what I’ve learned about this important topic. It’s a rough morning, the end of 64 hours on the clock, […]
