A decade ago, I was a happy pastor’s wife staying home to raise my three children. We were the picture of the perfect family. Then, my perfect life was ripped to shreds. Lies. Infidelity. Betrayal. Immeasurable pain. And suddenly, I was a single mom struggling to raise my three precious children on my own. Without…
For the last two months, my life has been moving at warp speed. Every waking moment seems to be spent watching my children, looking for signs that their grief is overwhelming them. I haven’t taken the time to watch the news, and have in many ways withdrawn from the world in which I live. Today,…
Silence. As a single mom of three teenagers, the thought of a few moments of silence is only a dream. Cries of, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” “Mom, can we leave yet?” “Mom, can my friend come over?” “Mom, where are you?” seem to permeate every moment of every day. What I would do to have…
Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” Ephesians…
Then this message came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, how does a grapevine compare to a tree? Is a vine’s wood as useful as the wood of a tree? Can its wood be used for making things, like pegs to hang up pots and pans? No, it can only be used for…
“He is a charismatic leader at church,” the email begins. “Everyone loves him. They believe everything he says. He has managed to turn everyone against me. But they don’t know the man he becomes behind closed doors.” I receive emails similar to this almost every day. Male and female. Young and old. Emotional abuse is…
“Mom,” she began, tears running down her cheeks, “I just don’t understand. Why? Why did God have to take my daddy so soon?” My heart broke as I took her in my arms. The tears streamed down my own cheeks. Few things are worse than seeing your children hurt. And, when you don’t have answers…
There we were, gathered around the table. Jesus, the twelve disciples, and myself. I watched Jesus closely, mesmerized by His every move, His every word. And that’s when He stood, grabbed a towel and a basin. One by one He knelt at our feet, taking the form of a servant. Peter. James. John. Love emanating…
“We have heard that you had multiple affairs and destroyed multiple families,” the email from my employer read. Stunned. Shocked. Mortified. Hurt. Angry. The emotions rocked me to my very core. My hands shook as I attempted to respond. Where could such a venomous attack come from? Hadn’t I suffered enough already? Yes, in the…
About two years ago, my kids and I were facing a very difficult situation…one over which we had absolutely no control. I worried and fretted. I begged and pleaded. But most importantly, I prayed. I had spent the spring reading The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. I was so convicted about the importance of prayer…
Have you ever seen history rewritten? History is often about perspective. We each have our own experiences through which we interpret events. Sometimes an event will change the way we see our past. I’ve seen this over the last years concerning marriage. Often, we rewrite our marriages in light of our circumstances. For example, I’ve…
Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families… Psalm 68:5-6a I have been working on a blog post with plans to update yesterday, just like always. And then life happened. I really am not ready to share details here, but I am…