And when I came back from this conference refreshed and renewed, I remembered something. I need to get out of my own head sometimes. No matter what is going on, I need to serve. I need to think about other people. I need to keep myself closer to the bottom of the list. How easily I forget.
Read MoreI gave the pit almost an entire day. And many calories. And many hours of tv. And tears. And the whole day I was wondering what I would write about this week. How could I offer hope when I was sitting in the dark?
Read MoreIs there anything worse than being alone when you need help? I can barely stand being alone in the dark, let alone real danger or devastation. And yet, with the right people, the right support, the right presence in your life, you feel like you can do anything, make it through anything.
Read MoreDo you like roller coasters? I can’t say I’ve ever liked them. I rode a lot as a teenager but that was more because I was trying to impress a boy. Really, I was terrified. My kids kind of feel the same way. They beg us to take them to Canada’s Wonderland but then have trouble making themselves get on any big rides.
Read More“Everyone knew who I was. ‘Seven demons’ they would whisper. ‘Mary Magdalene is possessed by seven demons.’ You have no idea how I suffered. The torment, the rejection, the sin. There was no one to help me. No one who really cared.”
Those words keep running through my mind. Mary must have felt as if she was the most unloveable person in her world. How would she ever be loved by another human being, let alone Jesus?
Read MoreAll my life I’ve struggled with feeling loved. Maybe that’s common to all women and we just don’t talk about it. But there it is. I’ve told myself that I am not loved or I am unloveable or that I have to earn people’s love. The result is often working too hard to earn it.
Read MoreLast spring it was time to take family pictures. I had gotten the package as a gift to my mother in law for Christmas and intended to have new ones taken of our family at the same time.
There was only one problem.
These were the first family pictures since the affair and I wasn’t sure what to think.
Read More7 X 70
If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you know exactly what that means. Peter comes to Jesus and asks him, “How many times am I expected to forgive the same person?” I might have phrased it as, “This person is driving me insane. When can I stop speaking to them?”
Read MoreFriendship is hard for me. I’ve never been that good at it. I’m an introvert, I tend to think differently than most people - read: I’m kind of weird - and sometimes I just can’t figure people out.
Read MoreBut then she told me that she would never forgive my husband.
Read MoreAre you okay?
Its a question we ask each other all the time. Sometimes with genuine interest, sometimes just being polite. But its kind of a strange question. Are any of us ever really okay? If you were to walk up to me right now and ask me that, I’d probably respond with a yes, but I can think of three things right now that have my mind going crazy. And I don’t remember very many times in my life where I sat and thought, wow, I wouldn’t change a thing. Everything is perfect.
Read MoreI was acutely aware of everything going on in my body. My hands were shaking. I was breathing hard. My stomach was rebelling. I was hot and cold all at once. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, I wanted to run away, I wanted to curl up in a ball.
Read MoreI see you standing there in the corner.
You’ve failed. Again. You know it and I know it. You gave into your flesh, into temptation. You’re living in despair. You’ve doubted God in the middle of trials. The why doesn’t really matter as much as, we have found ourselves here. Standing in the corner. In the shadows.
Read MoreBut once the initial shock wore off, I realized, more than a plan, I needed to know how I was going to live with this person and with this betrayal. And God started whispering two words into my heart over and over.
Read More2016 was going quite well. Of course there were the usual bumps in the road, but family life was great, my health was going well, I had some plans for writing, we were loving ministry, everything looked pretty good.
Read MoreWhat if God had written the Old Testament the way we curate our Instagram feed?
Read MoreI love all the “things” about Christmas. White twinkling lights make my whole life better.
Read MoreI have this weird Christmas tradition. Christmas trees and Christmas lights in general are one of my favourite aspects of Christmas, so each year on Christmas Eve, I sleep on the couch with the tree lights on.
Read MoreDo you ever feel like you’re kind of two different people? I’ve felt like that a lot this past year and its an unsettling feeling.
Read MoreChristmas is my absolute favourite time of year. I love it when everything is so magical. The lights are up and twinkling.
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