what I learned in year 41

Things I learned in year 41: God uses friendships to encourage our faith. I’m not an avoider; I am an engager. Speaking honestly and sharing my...

freely and lightly title + cover reveal

This book has been a long, beautiful journey and it is so exciting to finally share the title and cover with you! I have so many things to tell you...

when it feels like more than you can handle

"I just don't know how I'm going to get it all done", I said out loud, not really meaning to. I was picking up or dropping off and sat in my car...

our hope is an anchor

One of my best friends asked me how I was doing and my answer surprised me. I make it a general practice to answer the "how are you?" question with...

growing their faith

When the kids were little, we read from the Jesus Storybook Bible and listened to Seeds of Worship (such a great music-scripture combo!). I tried to...

clothes of a different kind

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and...

this is the day

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 NIV She burst into tears. "I don't like school! I'm never...

be still

"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 NIV If asked if I'm picky, I'll answer no. That's not my style of control. I like to be flexible and...

He is with us

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you...

it is finished

These three words have come to mean a lot to me this year. I put them on my letterboard and look at it every day as a reminder because I am so prone...

lift your eyes up

I woke and the house was quiet. It wasn't necessarily early; we've grown very accustomed to the irregular weekday schedule that doesn't require an...

it changed my life

Three things happened back-to-back that changed the trajectory of my bible-reading life (and my whole life, actually). It first started with a post...

for the non-fiction types

I listened to a podcast conversation where the host and guest mentioned listening to audio books. One woman said she doesn’t often listen to books...

he takes great delight in you

Our oldest son is just the nicest kid – he is smart and friendly, witty and creative. He’s responsible and caring (and as sloppy as they come, but I...

be kind

The quality I admire most in others, the one character trait I wish for our children and the word I’d love for our family to be defined by...

thoughts about instagram

I’ve recently unfollowed just about 700 accounts on Instagram. You read that right: seven hundred. I now follow right around 400 which means that at...

pop those headphones in

I listen to a lot of podcasts. It dawned on me when I was sharing my five things Friday on Instagram and all I wanted to talk about were the podcast...

and then He said, be an artist

In late November I sat on my closet floor praying. There were tears, of course, because I cry easily and I was just so desperate to hear from God. I...