Many of you may be familiar with Ann Voskamp’s book, 1000 Gifts. I haven’t finished the book yet, but so far I love it!!! I heard her share at SheSpeaks, and I was challenged to live a life of gratitude. We can get so focused on our circumstances that we fail to live lives of thanksgiving before the Lord. God tells us to give thanks…
Standing on the white sandy beach after dark, gazing into the stars I was in awe of God’s majesty and His goodness to share glimpses of Himself with us. I was thrilled to finally be at the beach! What a gift! Then to my dismay, the pier closed and we had to find another way back to the condo where we were staying. We could…
When my husband died five years ago, I remember sitting in the counselor’s office and telling her that I was praying, asking God to turn my weeping to laughing and my mourning to dancing. She said, “Natalie, those are two extremes. Maybe you should hope for something in the middle.” After living with Michael’s bipolar disorder, I understood what it meant to live in the…
As most of you know, I am working on my PhD in Counseling. I spent two weeks last month on campus in class, all day every day. During this intense week, I not only learned a lot about counseling others, but I also did a tremendous amount of introspection. One of the things that resonated with me was the challenge to live in the “here…
OK, so I’ve felt like I needed to blog on suffering for some time now, but I keep putting it off. Even now, I don’t really want to write about it but I feel it in my bones that I’m supposed to … so here goes! Life hurts! There are times in life when the pain is so intense that even breathing seems a chore….
Seventeen years ago today, evil descended over a nation with a horrifying intensity. Neighbors betrayed neighbors. Friends brutally murdered friends. Children hid in terror as feared for their lives. As I listened to the stories of those who survived the genocide, I found myself heartbroken, time and time again. We visited the National Genocide Museum in Kigali. The sights and images I saw will forever…