I recently discovered that I have a significant gluten intolerance. I’ve suffered with a variety of strange ailments over the last few years, most of which I have associated with my low thyroid condition. However, some symptoms actually seemed to be completely antithetical to hypothyroid. As I’ve read about Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, I’ve learned many experts…
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3 Have you ever experienced God’s perfect peace? That sense of calm and security that is completely inexplicable in the midst of life’s chaotic circumstances? Have you ever wondered how you can even be upright in light…
It’s been six years. This weekend, September 2, Roy and I will celebrate six years of marriage. Six years of changes. Six years of blending two very different families. Six years of learning and growing. Six years of experiencing God’s redemption. Don’t let me fool you. It hasn’t been six years of wedded bliss. It’s…
What’s your rescue story? I have heard so many rescue stories over my lifetime. Stories of rescue from the grips of drug addiction and alcohol. Stories of marriages rescued from the brink of divorce. Stories of miraculous births after infertility. Stories of healing that can only be explained as a miracle of God. But I’ve…
“Are you truly happy?” That was the question posed to me earlier this week in a conversation with a friend facing divorce after a decades-long marriage. It’s the fear of the unknown that creates so much anxiety, even when the marriage was unbelievably difficult, fraught with betrayal and pain of the deepest kind. Will I…
Deconstructing Christianity. It seems to be all the rage these days, outspoken individuals raised in the church who are sharing their stories. Telling of how they have left the faith. Discussing the disappointments of unanswered prayers. Sharing how they have been disillusioned by their upbringing. I listen intently, inquisitively. Many of these individuals have faced…
Have you ever been baffled by something you read in scripture? It actually happens to me frequently, but I always find myself wondering why God chose to bring Jesus through the lineage of Judah. Jesus is known as the Lion of Judah. Why not the Lion of Joseph? After all, Israel (Jacob) had eleven other…
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…
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…
Before you read the words below, I want to give you a little background. One year ago, I chose to go on an official date with a friend I’d known most of my life. I chose to open my heart, my mind, to the possibility this friendship might turn into something more. I chose to…
(This is the second part in a series by my friend, Samantha Ferguson. If you missed the first part, click here .) Here’s a quick recap of the first four promises for the single mom. You are honored. He cares about the details. His grace will fill in the gaps. You can’t do it all,…
“Resurrection is the central tenet of the Christian faith. And it isn’t something we just celebrate on Easter. Resurrection is something we celebrate every day in every way. Prayer has the power to resurrect dead dreams and give them new life—eternal life.” Mark Batterson (The Circle Maker, 41) Have you ever really thought about the…