Covering topics that impact today's Christian: family, marriage, raising kids, spiritual growth, forgiveness, etc.
I have a problem. Or maybe I should say I have a concern. My concern is the reputation that Christianity and Christians have — from both non-believers and those who have left the church, but still believe in God. Folks, it’s not great. I have been told or read the following statements: “Christians are all just a bunch of hypocrites.” “I believe in God, but not religion. The church just wants to judge everyone.” “I don’t need Christianity, I can
There’s a popular Christian song called “Bleed the Same” by Mandisa and Toby Mac that has this line: “If we’re gonna fight, let’s fight for each other. If we’re gonna shout, let love be the cry.”
Have I ever told you about my favorite day? Maybe that’s weird to you that I have a favorite day. I don’t know if that’s a normal thing or not. But I do, and you might be surprised to learn that it’s not my wedding day, or any of the days I gave birth to my children (although those days are etched in my memory and tucked in my heart forever). No, my favorite day ever happened on a Tuesday
When I was pregnant with my twins I was put on bed-rest at 34 weeks because of some early-labor symptoms. The doctor told me as long as I could make it to 36 weeks, it would be considered a full-term twin pregnancy. At 36 and a half weeks I felt the contractions begin and I could not wait for those babies to be born. I was D-O-N-E being pregnant! I labored through the night and into the next day, my
I never wanted to be known as a wife and mother. I wanted to BE a wife and I wanted to BE a mom, but I didn’t want those to be my defining labels. I guess I was afraid of losing my own identity and that scared me. From a very young age I had this idea that I was meant to be somebody. You know, make a name for myself. Maybe as a famous writer, or high-powered executive, or
The Advent season officially kicks off this week. Many churches celebrate Advent every year as a fixed part of the church calendar. But if you didn’t grow up in one of these churches or aren’t sure what Advent is all about, here’s a simple definition…
When I was 13 I was molested by my step-father. There was no police report filed. There was no public announcement made. I never even got to confront him. When I told my mom what had happened she could not accept the truth. She said I had misunderstood. She said if I reported it to anyone it could ruin his life and his career. Two days later I went to live with my dad and step-mom, where I could feel
Most of my life I have believed that peace was something that happened based on circumstances. I thought that while I could try to create peace by eliminating unnecessary stress, noise, or chaos, more often than not, peace was something that was the result of (or not the result of) things outside of my control. But after studying Galatians 5 earlier this year, I started to discover a different view of peace. Galatians 5:16-25 tells us peace is a fruit
Qualified. This is my word right now. It’s the word I chose to stand under for the whole of 2018. Because the truth is most days I feel pretty unqualified. Unqualified to raise these three humans entrusted to me. Unqualified to lead by example, to teach them how to build a strong marriage rooted in love and honesty and forgiveness; teach them how to put Jesus at the center of their lives. I struggle to claim words like “writer” and
When I was in college at Appalachian State University, I was super involved with the campus Lutheran Student Association (LSA). It was the first group I joined when I got to school and in many ways the friends I met in that group were a life-line during those four years. They were my people and they helped me get closer to Jesus. I loved being a part of the group and the larger church community that supported them. Each year