-
Ecclesiastes: Unexpected Blessings
I started reading Ecclesiastes during my porch time on May 5 when my church started a sermon series on the book. Of course, they always move through it much faster than I do. But the timing was interesting. At the end of April, I had an unexpected transition out of the position I held the…
-
Right Where You Need to Be
This week, I’m heading to Beach Camp with my youngest daughter as the small group leader for a group of 10th grade girls. It’s basically church camp on the beach, and I’m terrified. The topic of the week is the book of Jonah, and when I read that book, I can’t help but realize that…
-
On Leaving Home
When my oldest son moved into his first apartment, we were taking the last load, and I looked at him sleeping in the passenger seat. His launch into the real world had taken a little longer, but when I looked at where he was on that day, my heart knew that he was ready for…
-
Home
Sometimes you just need to go home. This weekend I’m in my childhood home with my parents. Just me…no husband, no kids, no siblings. Just me. As a parent, I always want my kids to know that they can come home when they need to. My younger son is living with us after his college…
-
The Work God Gives
Sometimes I feel like all the work I am doing is not enough. I feel like I’m disappointing everyone around me, and no matter how hard I try, I just can’t make them happy. I work very hard at what I do, and when I’m working, it takes 100% of my focus. I’m either all…
-
Embracing Imperfect Parenting: A Gospel Perspective
The biggest parenting myth is that the goal of parenting is to create perfect kids who make good decisions and never get in trouble. In order to get this, we try to manage and control them, which often doesn’t go well. When they do mess up, we take it personally as a reflection of our…
-
Are you okay with that?
“If I said that I hated God, I seriously doubt that you would be okay with that.” A student said to me when we were having a private conversation. It stuck out to me because why would it matter whether or not I was okay with that. Aren’t their beliefs their business? Don’t they have…
-
STUCK: Waiting to Be Remembered
Waiting to be remembered is some of the hardest waiting you will ever do. It’s maddening because it is completely out of your hands. Sure, you could manipulate things or bug a person to death. But then you can’t trust the results. Did they really want to or were they just trying to appease you?…
-
Making Room (2016)
“No room!” Place after place, inn after inn, and all with the same reply. Bethlehem was crowded and bustling with people trying to abide by the orders of the census. Mary and Joseph searched everywhere for a place, and yet there was no room. Panic began to rise in Joseph as he knocked on door after door…
-
Making Room
They searched place after place, inn after inn, and all with the same reply, “No room!” The city was crowded and bustling with people. Everywhere they looked to find a place, there was no room. I doubt Bethlehem felt like a very welcoming or inviting place to Mary and Joseph. Constant noise and constant people…
From Ice Queen to Princess 