I’m driving on a beautiful afternoon, the leaves just beginning to turn gold, orange, and crimson. I have my favorite playlist on, snacks in my bag, and a weekend away with friends to anticipate....
We will all have slip-ups, setbacks, and days when we're in a valley. When this happens we can wonder if we’ve made any progress. We might say, “See? I’ve been fooling myself. I’m not stronger. I’m...
"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me." I’m a little girl standing in front of a wooden pew, hymnal in my hands, singing off-key. In the sincere sentiment of John Newton’s...
A friend once said to me, “Mess means progress.” We were walking through a building being remodeled and for days afterward, her words echoed in my mind. Mess means progress. She’s an interior...
How are you? "I'm fine." It's the answer we often automatically give even when the reality is far different. Sometimes we're not fine. We're tired. Overwhelmed. Grieving. Confused. Frustrated. We're...
A phrase I've heard from so many people lately is, "I don't understand." I don't understand what's happening in the world. I don't understand what's happening in our family. I don't understand...
I still recall sitting in the front row of a conference years ago, quietly shaking in my cute red boots. They’re supposed to make me feel a bit more like a superhero, but they’re not working so well...
The phone rings. I say an innocent hello. Unexpected news fills my eyes with tears, my thoughts with fears, and the conversation with unanswerable questions. Have you ever gotten a call like this?...
Jesus knew ordinary. He knew the feel of a splinter in his thumb, the smell of earth and sawdust, the sound of nails against boards. He understood deadlines and demanding customers. He comprehended...
I settle in on a lovely morning, coffee next to me, ready to begin my work for the day. Then my thoughts shift to recent mistakes I’ve made, words I wish I could unsay, things I would do differently...