Abuse in the SBC (and Other Denominations)

This morning, I had a headline pop up on my phone: “Bombshell 400-page report finds Southern Baptist leaders routinely silenced sexual abuse survivors” I clicked on the link out of curiosity as to what this secular news agency had to say, knowing that there’s often a bias against Christianity. However, like most of you, I […]

To My Daughter As You Graduate from High School

My dear, sweet Cassie, I don’t even know how to start this letter. The tears sting my eyes already as I begin to think of all the emotion that is pent up inside me. It seems like just yesterday I learned I was having a baby girl. After two rough and tumble boys, I was […]

Did Jesus Die for the Narcissist?

Tomorrow is Good Friday, and Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection are on my mind–as they should be. For some reason, my mind has been asking if Jesus died for the narcissist. Let me start by saying the term narcissist has become a choice description for anyone who is self-centered. I think we have to be […]

When You Can’t See His Hand

“When you can’t see His hand, trust His heart.” This quote hangs on my wall near my living room as a daily reminder that our God is always at work, even when we can’t see it. I can look back over my life and see all the ways He was working in the background when […]

Six Ways to Deal with a Holy Discontentment

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or […]

The Final Walk

Have I told you about my son’s pigs? When my son was in high school, he showed pigs. Yes, live, eating, drinking, pooping, smelly pigs. Cole decided to join Future Farmers of America (FFA) in the 8th grade, and he excelled! He showed pigs and sheep. He judged livestock. And he was surrounded by some […]

An Ordinary Day

If I have never told you, my daughter is an amazing vocalist. She joined choir as a sophomore, and she made the Oklahoma All-State Choir her first year. Now that she is a senior, she is the school’s only three-time all-stater. This week, we are in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the OAKE National Honor Choir. Today, […]

Four Things to Remember When You Have Been Hurt by the Church

I read a Facebook post by a friend recently, and it absolutely broke my heart. In the post, he talked about all the ways he has been hurt by the Church. By the congregations that shamed him when his marriage fell apart. By the pastor who fired him when people responded to his message. By […]

What Makes a Marriage, Part 2

Before I dive into the rest of the interview with Gary Thomas, I want to say a few things. I have already written about Married Sex, Gary’s latest book written with Debra Fileta. Sadly, many of you have heard many negative and critical comments about it. It is so important that we refuse to take words […]

One Word for 2022

We are on the cusp of a new year, filled with 365 brand new days. A new beginning. A fresh start. New opportunities. Full of promise. New mercies every single day. These last two years have been difficult for so many. We’ve seen so much pain, so much loss, so much division. Many of us […]