Helping Women Find Their Identity in Christ
In Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem “Ozymandias,” the lines describe a traveler who finds the ruin of a statue of a ruler. Stamped on the pedestal are these words: “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: / Look on my works, ye Mighty and despair!” The words are ironic because the statue, depicting a ruler influential […]
My son has been potty-trained for two years. However, though he is potty-trained, it has taken some time to learn to use the bathroom on his own. When he does business that requires a long sit-down on the commode, I have to remind him how much tissue to use, how to rub soap to get […]
Several weeks ago, I did a video chat on fear. All of the other members of my blog were busy, so I decided to do it alone because I felt the message was one that was important and needed to be put out there. I typed up an outline of notes, went to the library […]
My oldest daughter, Beth, went to two church camps this summer. That’s two full weeks my baby of nine years was away from her mama. (And yes, I know, at nine, she’s no longer a baby, but to me, she will always be my baby girl.) When she was gone, I missed her something terrible! […]
I am a church member, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, and a teacher. I’m sure you fit many of those roles as well, and the expectations we put on ourselves and expect from others to fulfill any of those positions is mind-boggling. I’m sure you don’t want to read paragraphs of what I […]
I like to tell people that I met my husband at a concert where he was the singer and lead guitarist in a band. It sounds dangerous and rock and roll. And it’s true except for the fact that it was a Christian rock band, and he was playing at his local church. Somehow, those […]
In 1996, the movie Twister came out, and it introduced me to the idea of a storm chaser. This concept of someone who deliberately went towards a storm — chasing after it, even — seemed a little peculiar to me. I, like many of you, prefer to run in the other direction when a storm hits […]
A few weeks ago, I listened to a sermon that dug into the marrow of my being. The sermon was about the storms of life that come up suddenly — like sudden squalls on a calm lake. The sermon made an impression on me not only because it was a compelling talk and gave a slightly […]
“Mom, our playground is so small. It’s like a baby playground,” my daughter announced as I eased the minivan into the carpool line that snaked in front of her school. We had recently moved into a new community, and after only a month in her new first grade class, my daughter had been giving me […]
Thomas is one of those characters in the Bible I never really connected with. His story I knew was one placed in the Bible to show me why I shouldn’t doubt, but I never saw myself as Thomas-like. Therefore, I didn’t know how much like Thomas I was until recently when I recalled his words to Jesus […]
Do you like confronting others? I certainly don’t. As a recovering people-pleaser and person who has worked hard to overcome an addiction to others’ approval, I have struggled to confront people or initiate hard conversations with the people in my life. My tactics most of the time have included avoiding the situation or the difficult […]
Not too long ago, my family moved into a new community and transitioned from the church and home we had grown very comfortable in. I remember well the events that led up to this move. The school year was drawing to a close. My husband generally has a slew of coaching opportunities that are available […]
In HGTV’s “Fixer Upper,” married couple Chip and Joanna Gaines take run-down houses and fix them up into beautiful, livable spaces. In each episode, the Gaines show a client three different properties (generally houses in need of repair) and then remodel the house to the client’s specifications within a specific budget. The condition of the […]
In The Emperor’s New Groove, a Disney animated movie, the selfish Emperor Kuzco is turned into a llama by a former palace advisor. Through a course of twists and turns, he is helped by a kind llama herder, Pacha. Ironically, Pacha is the same llama herder that the emperor is cruel to at the beginning of […]
“Before any of us can fully live as God created us to live, we must first die to our desire to control our own lives or live life according to our plan and will” (The Blessings of Brokenness, 28). Sometime this past summer, before the air grew crisp and the scents and sights of autumn […]
“One of the things I have discovered through being broken … is that after brokenness we can experience God’s greatest blessings … But this blessing comes only if we experience brokenness fully and confront why it is that God has allowed us to be broken. If we allow God to do his complete work […]
When I was an unmarried college student, I got a job working at a retail store in the local mall. People that I knew would frequently come through, but I was surprised one day to see a good looking young man approach me. I recognized him as the brother of a boy I had known […]
The teenage girl stands in front of the vending machine, a frown on her face. She scans the snack selections uncertainly. Several minutes tick by. She is unaware that anyone is behind her. I am a few feet back and notice her thin shoulders. She has lost a bit of weight in the last year. […]
For most of my life, I have been a people pleaser. Many times I have focused my day on winning the approval of others. I wanted to hear another person thank me for something I did or respond with praise over my effort. This desire for people to notice me began as a teenager. Both […]
One of my best friends and I were working out at the gym together this past summer. We are both teachers, so summertime is the perfect time catch up on things we aren’t able to do during the school year. As we were both on the elliptical one day, we found ourselves in a conversation […]