I was born an organized, detail-oriented, planner. Literally. My mom was unconscious for five days after I was born. By the time my mom and I were stable enough to come home, the nurses had me on a strict schedule. I would take a bottle and go to bed at 10:00 pm, and I would…
Sometimes parenting is really hard. This week has been one of those difficult weeks with my kids. My kids are great, and I know I am incredibly blessed. But, with everything we’ve been through, it’s understandable that we have our struggles. Struggles with faith. Struggles with the past. Struggles with the future. Struggles with growing…
Job was a man of integrity, faultless and blameless. And yet, God allowed him to suffer incredible losses. He lost his servants and his livestock. He lost all of his possessions and his children. He lost his health. And Job’s response? Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head…
“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matthew 17:20 If only we had enough faith… How many times have…
“For I hate divorce!” says the Lord, the God of Israel. Malachi 2:16 I’ve heard it quoted by so many people. It’s been thrown in my face, reminding me what a sinful person I am for walking away from my marriage. I’ve been told I am required to live a celibate life until my death,…
If I could sum up 2016 with one word it would be loss. Yes, we have had some wonderful blessings this year, but the blessings have been far outweighed by huge losses. And, as the holidays approach, the losses are weighing even heavier upon our hearts. I’ve spent the last eight months doing everything I…
Let’s face it: sometimes life just sucks. I’m not one to use any type of profanity, but I’m not sure there’s any other way to describe 2016. It’s been an unbelievably difficult year, filled with life-changing realities that have permanently altered our lives. And here we are, with the holidays upon us, trying to figure…
The sound of the phone startled me awake. “Hello,” I managed, struggling to wake from a deep sleep. “Something’s wrong with Cassie,” came the frightened voice on the other end of the phone. I bolted from my bed and rushed to her room. There sat Cassie’s friend who was spending the night, terrified. And there…
The election is over. The ballots are in and we have a new President-elect. And what a surprise it was. On election day, I was waiting for results to begin pouring in. I was filled with a mixture of excitement and fear, enthusiasm and dread. The election season was nothing like what I had hoped…
Life is funny sometimes. I’ve been waiting for years for God to give me permission to enter the dating scene, and—at what seems the most inopportune and unlikely time of my life—I have found myself tip-toeing into a relationship. As I enter this new season of life, I am asking many questions: What am I…
In Oklahoma, few things are more certain than the uncertainty of the weather. Thunderstorms are simply a way of life for us. Many of us love the sound of the thunder and the flash of lightning. There’s no better sleeping weather than right in the heart of storm season. We are even growing accustomed to…
Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. Joshua 6:1 The Israelites had spent 40 years wandering in the desert. Now, it was time to possess the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. God had…