Last week, I had a bad day. No reason, no cause, just the edges of sorrow pressing up and recoloring moments, like Sadness from “Inside Out.” It happens now and then, and those days used to derail me, but not anymore. I’ve learned joy is a well that can be dug and drawn from. My source […]
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, […]
This is the Part Where I Quit Fear tries to bully me into silence. Shame swears I’m not qualified. Insecurity sneers that I’ve got nothing worth saying. So this is the part where I quit. Unless it isn’t. My heart aches to make beauty, to change things. But these voices roll around the corners of […]
You’re headed out to change the world. Maybe it’s your first mission trip; maybe it’s your fiftieth. Either way, anything seems possible, like a window to change is wide open. But as you go, remember this: changing the world doesn’t happen the way you think. Your leaders prepared you well: immunizations, messages, packing lists, prayer. […]
Well, friends, it has been an exciting few weeks for me and this corner of the online world. 2016 is already surprising me with its twists and turns: unforeseen opportunities, new friends, old stories being told and healing I didn’t know I needed.I’m amazed to discover some of the things that will make their way […]
Note: I am so honored to host my new friend Steve Austin as he courageously shares his story of messy grace and redemption. (To read the original post about Steve’s suicide attempt, just click here.) If you’ve known dark days, are tired of a picture of Jesus that only brings condemnation, or are just plain weary, this […]
“And in that same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” – Luke 2:8 They were caked the waste of an existence that could never quite be washed away. The filth of their work stained their souls as much as their skin. They were despised, deprived of […]
Thanksgiving looked different for me this year. I couldn’t spend it with loved ones – Oregon is just too far, and I had just visited my sister to meet my new baby niece. Being far from home can make for a tough holiday and an opportunity for extra loneliness to seep in. I didn’t want to […]
Together, we are living in the gaps. With the tension of unfulfilled dreams. With the heartache of loss and the sickness of deferred hope. Somewhere along the way, we run right into that painful space between what is and what should be. We hope for relationships, for children, for jobs. We long for healed bodies and souls, a […]
