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To young families at Christmas
For all the moms who are just beginning families: be intentional about the traditions you begin. They will be the things your kids remember, and it becomes very sweet as your kids get older and take over. I remember one of the first Christmases we had as a little family. I tried to do all…
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Let Them See You
My sweet Princess friend Caetlyn has articulated the plight of the Ice Queen very well in her latest blog. Let Them See You.
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Chasing Happiness
“Mrs. Patton, we want to make you happy,” my students explained when we were talking about the requirements for their upcoming writing assignment. “But my happiness is completely irrelevant,” I said. I didn’t want my students to write to make me happy. I wanted them to write to make themselves happy. I wanted them to take pride…
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Stuck: Stop Looking for the Key
I have realized that I spend a lot of time in my metaphorical prison looking for a key. I’ve looked under every rock, and checked every brick in the wall. I’ve gazed out the window and plotted impossible escape plans. The escape plans usually require going back to my Ice Queen ways and using force…
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Stuck: 10 Things Paul and John NEVER Said From Prison
Lately I’ve been talking and writing about this idea of being in prison. Sometimes God takes us through seasons where he makes our worlds very small, and it doesn’t make sense to us. It got me thinking about Paul, John and others who wrote most of the New Testament while sitting in prison. I thought…
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Stuck: Letters from Prison
Lately I’ve been thinking about and having conversations with other people about the idea of being imprisoned in a metaphorical, spiritual sense. It’s a season when you just don’t feel like you have what you need to do what God has called you to do. I have been through the wasteland and discovered who I am…
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Saying Good-Bye to Camelot
Today is my youngest daughter’s fifth birthday. It has been five years since I was pregnant. Four years since I have nursed a baby. Five years since I have held a sleeping infant of my own on my chest, which is the best feeling in the world. It signifies the end of an era.…
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Prison is Not the Same as the Wilderness
Being in prison is not the same as wandering in the wilderness. In Scripture, we see different characters deal with these two different challenges. The Israelites and Elijah experienced the wilderness. Joseph and Paul were familiar with prison. Lately I’ve been identifying with Joseph more than the Israelites. Unjustly accused, misunderstood, thrown away, discarded, locked…
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The Princess and the Audition
L’Audition by Himitsuhana “I’m not going to audition for the musical.” My young friend looked me in the eye and said it. I asked a few follow up questions, but all her answers made sense. She didn’t want to deal with the drama of the drama people. She didn’t want all the stress because she…
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Glorious Impossible 2013
The term “glorious impossible” refers to the impossible things that God does for his glory. The Christmas story has so many “glorious impossibles” in it, and Carl Cartee wrote one of my favorite songs about it that our church often sings at Christmas. You can read my first blog about it here to get the whole…
From Ice Queen to Princess 