Christmas tends to bring out the best and worst in people. If you’ve ever been to Wal-Mart on Black Friday, you have seen some of the worst — greed, selfishness, entitlement, rudeness. I could go on and on. We can become self-absorbed as we think about our “wants” for Christmas. On the flip side, we see the generosity of others as they give to those…
Jeff and I were talking as we drove home after lunch. As we approached the hill, a young girl (4 or 5) came barreling toward us on her bicycle. Jeff slammed on the brakes, and exclaimed, “What is she doing?” At that moment, I looked up and saw the terrified expression on the girl’s face. She turned the steering wheel just in time to avoid…
Recently, I’ve thought a lot about self-care. I’ve heard pastors say self-care is sinful and worldly. Psychologists describe self-care as “doing what brings you joy” and popular media says, “You do you.” I’ve wrestled with a biblical view of self-care and here are my thoughts. The reason most of us need better self-care is that we are running ourselves ragged. We are so prideful we…
I apologize for the silent treatment recently. To find balance during a season, I chose to give up a few things. I haven’t written in a while because I am learning to be still and quiet before God. He is teaching me to listen more and to speak less. He is teaching me patience and contentment in the waiting. While the silence can be maddening…
On a recent road trip with Jeff, I was struck by the silence in the car. Surprisingly, my heart began to smile at the joy I felt just being together. In the past when I saw an older couple sitting across from each other at a restaurant in silence, I thought “How sad. I hope Jeff and I are never like that.” As I matured,…
I was sitting beside my friend, Candice, with butterflies in my stomach as they announced the finalists for the Christian Market Awards in the Memoir category. They gave away honorable mention, third, second, and finally, first place. My name was not called. I was really not surprised. This was my first time ever being a finalist for a book award and I felt incredibly grateful…