I first felt it in the back of the sanctuary, in the very last row, during a Sunday night service. First was when I was in high school, and then again in college. Oh and then again as a young adult. At every stage, I’d find my way back to …
We think of the fruit of the spirit as being something we possess that’s enticing to others—that Paul compared these qualities to …
She sat across from me in the corner booth against the window, sipping her Coke with lime. Our second college visit, we …
We dance, and I wonder what He’s doing. One step forward, two steps back. A nonstop marathon of progress and regression; doors …
There are things I don’t like to remember. They sneak upon me long past the expiration date I’ve given them; regrets and …
Tell me about yourself. Our answers are always automatic, and as women usually start like this: I’m a wife, a mom. I …
I have a list. It’s not written down anywhere, but it’s certainly memorized. It’s a list of things I think or speak …
I won’t jump into a heated discussion, espousing my thoughts and opinions on the fly. My mind doesn’t work that way; I …
I have it memorized and can call it forth at any given moment: There once was a girl, and she felt pretty …
You, with your quiet strength that you see as too timid and weak. Your strength that endures under trials and difficulties, that …
It never occurred to me to pray about these massive self-esteem issues. To pray about speaking in front of that group. To …
I’m just now celebrating the good things about me; the ways God created me to see and perceive, to think and to …
Get you a friend who’ll help you renew your mind. A friend who encourages you to celebrate good news, not let you …
It takes humility, doesn’t it? To admit we’re ruined and need renewal. To admit that our spirit needs help, that we can’t …
We are a people of new things. We like upgrades and do overs. We ship out the old and ring in the …
It’s not too late. Sometimes we assume it’s been too long, or we’re too far gone; the mistakes and the sins are …
We’re told to wait on God to renew our strength. That if we wait on Him, we’ll spread our wings and soar …
He needed renewal. I didn’t even know his name, but I could tell by his actions and words he was in desperate …
She is an amazing wife and mother—she makes new and innovative meals regularly; full bellies and clean floors are her ministry. Her …
It’s an unusually warm day for early spring and I sat on the porch with my face in the sun. The birds …
Church in the Philippines was unlike anything I’d seen before. Every man, woman and child worshipping and praising God with abandon, the …
We love New Year’s resolutions and words for the year. We love befores and afters and do it yourself transformations. We love …
There’s this moment. Between the cocoon and flying, there’s a moment, a big pause. A time of re-orientation and discovery, a time …
I imagine it was excruciating, the wait between appointment and assignment. A shepherd boy, brought in from the fields to be told …
It was one of those “lightning bolt” mission trips. The kind where every moment you feel God grabbing your attention–showing you something …
Our time in the cocoon is healing and protective, the place the caterpillar dies so the butterfly can live. But there always …
“I can’t, I think I’m going to church.” We’d been roommates for over a year, and she wanted to carve pumpkins. But …
For you, friend. I know you’re in the trenches and it’s dark. I know doubts and fears swirl relentlessly, and you are …
He was a janitor at the church. He whistled while He worked and smelled of garlic and grace, always greeting with a …
The concept of metamorphosis was suddenly in crisp view and surrounded me everywhere I looked. Our lives in cycles of transformation; over …
