I’m crying UNCLE on 2016! Can I just say I’m over it? It seems I enter every year with great expectations, waiting for God to totally blow my mind with good things. So far, I’m still waiting… Let’s review the last six months. My oldest had surgery in December. A very painful surgery. My kids…
I like to listen to sermons. When I drive. When I run. When I get ready for work. I often have a podcast playing, just to keep my mind focused. I have several favorites on my playlist. I regularly listen to Mark Batterson at National Community Church, Andy Stanley at North Point Community Church, Craig…
I opened my computer with plans to write a blog about our thoughts. But before I could even start, my thoughts captured me and took me in a completely different direction. As soon as my computer booted up, the screen hit me like a punch in the stomach, temporarily knocking the breath out of me….
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he…
I’m so excited to have a very special guest post this week! Shannon Ethridge is the best selling author of The Every Woman series and the Completely His series. I’m currently enrolled in her BLAST mentoring program as I seek to follow God on this crazy journey of writing and speaking. Please take some…
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 I haven’t taken the time to watch the news, and have in many ways withdrawn from the world in which I live.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…