Stuff. I have a lot of stuff. To truly understand how much stuff I have, I need to go back about 15 years. You see, when I walked through my divorce, I was living about 15 miles from where I am now. My parents lived about 100 miles away with my then 98-year-old grandpa. My…
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9 Roy and I decided to go to see The Sound of Freedom at the movie theater Tuesday. If you haven’t see the trailer, I encourage you to watch it here. The movie portrays the true story of Tim…
This last week, I have been broken-hearted to see a number of videos of individuals who grew up in the church that are now turning away. They boldly proclaim why they have left the toxic church culture, explaining how they are now enlightened. The church is toxic. The church is abusive. The church keeps people…
This week, I was listening to a sermon about belonging. Belonging to God. Belonging to a fellowship of believers. The pastor used the movie Toy Story to illustrate his point. Do you remember how Andy wrote his name on the bottom of Woody’s shows, marking him as belonging to Andy? No one could deny that Woody…
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…
As I sat through the funeral service, I couldn’t concentrate on the words being spoken. I kept hearing a still, small voice in my head. “Extend forgiveness,” the voice urged. It was my first time back in this church building since my husband had resigned his position as pastor of the congregation nearly five months…
Does the Bible ever leave you scratching your head? Do you ever feel like you end up with more questions than answers? The story of Joseph has left me wondering for years. As I was out for my morning walk, I was listening to a sermon about Joseph. Once again, I found myself wondering one…
I was terrified. I was leaving the only home I had known as an adult. I was walking into the wilderness of an unknown journey.