Mom’s Christmas décor sat in a rubbermaid in the corner. Dad had brought Mom’s decorations to me last year, but I lacked the headspace to unpack them. In moments of longing for Mom’s hugs—I turned to something tangible, left how she left them. Lifting out Mom’s garland, clutching her favorite Christmas ribbon, that matched the…

How did He keep going? Paralytics.Poverty.Disease ravaged bodies.Demon possessed.Defectors.Religious frauds.Injustice.Oppression.Sin.Evil.Death. If Christ needed to withdraw to desolate places to pray, why wouldn’t we? Turning from media and turning to God isn’t turning away from their pain; it’s the surest way to enter it. We cry out, O Lord. “But he would withdraw to desolate places…

Many consider Psalm 88 the darkest of them all— My eyes are dim with grief. … Darkness is my closest friend. (Psalm 88:9, 18.) And yet curiously, the very next Psalm breaks open with— I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever. (Psalm 89:1.) It’s very strange how loud the love of Jesus is…

When my Christmas cards didn’t print right this season, I tried to see it as an opportunity to discard some self-imposed pressure.  But my dryer has been in disrepair for weeks now, and my kitchen faucet, too—after breaking in half 10 days ago. And this was on the heels of the sick-kid merry-go-round, full of fevers…

I love to encourage you with biblical writing. But the best encouragement you will ever receive is the ultimate encouragement of the Gospel. I love you too much to not let you hear about the One who loves you most— A holy God loves us so much that He sent His one,  sinless Child,  Jesus…

Last weekend, I made a three-hour drive to Cider House orchard & venue to speak to women hungry for the Lord. And it stirred some needed encouragement in my bones. The same bones that feel bruised these days because so many are grieving.  Every day, I hear of new pain. This year, my close friend…

I could tell you my personal testimony about my journey with Christ. I could tell you that I accepted the Lord Jesus as my Savior at age six. I could tell you I’m thankful to have been reared by two Jesus-loving parents. I could tell you those parents raised me in church. All thanks be…

A few years ago, Mom came limping into the room, leaning on her new walking stick. It was the first Easter after being diagnosed with an aggressive neurodegenerative disease, and she was trying to make the best of it. Just months prior, she had driven her car for the last time. The woman who spent…

You want to find yourself? The world is urging you to do so. As if recreating and controlling your life will bring you peace. It won’t. You want to find your life? Then lose it. Lose every inch of it in Jesus Christ. That is where your freedom is. Because egos buried in Christ cannot…

It’s just a square on a page of a calendar with a number in it.  But it was my first birthday without her.  And on that calendar square, there’s something about the silly cheering our moms do for us. I could be fifty and still expect her to be tooting my horn the loudest. It’d…

If I’m bent out of shape because something’s not going my way, that something’s likely out of order. Because if that something is ordered under His Lordship, then my Peace remains unaffected by results. If you’re straining toward something and can’t have enough, there’s likely something deeper here for you. Something you’re not finding in…

This is for the perfectionist. I may not know your specific struggle, but we can probably come together on how we think. The enemy wants you to focus on your flawed self so much that your obsession with “holiness” mutes your effectiveness. This self-fixation is a dangerously sneaky form of pride. Part of becoming mature…

If you’re floundering in pain today—don’t you dare let go. In Jesus, today’s pain is tomorrow’s power. The power to comfort others because God comforted you. (See 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.) The power to shine Light in darkness because Christ shone Light in yours. (See John 8:12, Matthew 5:14.) The power to hold fast to Jesus…

You may experience some genuinely joyful moments amid your grief.  These are gifts from God.  Don’t be surprised when the enemy tries to rob you of this Joy by warring on your mind.  He’ll probably speak his native language: lies.  (See John 8:44.) Lies intended to distract you from the goodness of God that outshines…

Some days, I think I’m great.  Some days, I think I’m disgusting. Both days, I‘m stuck on myself.  I used to equate pride with making myself too big. But making myself too small can be equally risky if it causes fixation on self.  Pride is self-preoccupation. And we’re told this precarious position never ends well. …

Over a year ago, I was driving to a funeral with my sons. My preschooler kept asking where we were going, and I told him I had a meeting. I didn’t want to explain. My heart was heavy in this season, for my friends burying a loved one, and for my own unrelated sorrow. My…

If you settle on the far side of the sea.  If the darkness tries to hide you. If you can’t tell which way is up. His hand still holds you fast.  (See Psalms 139:7-12.) If the height is unscalable.  If the depth is unsearchable.  If the loneliness is inarticulable.  His love still finds you there. …

If you’re overwhelmed, this one’s for you.  This is not a post about a solution. The solution is always Jesus. If it sounds cliché, that’s only because we’ve become a bit too casual about His powerful Name.  This is a post about some tools to complement the essentials (prayer/scripture/community). 1. Find somebody walking closely with…

I’m a bit wobbly at speaking up right now because I feel unqualified, unworthy, and complicit.  But God is not. So we invite Him to take over this post. *** Maybe God removed the scales from your eyes, and you’re uncomfortable and overwhelmed by your gaping need for grace & the work before you.  We,…

Some of you are hanging on to God by a fingernail.  Maybe you started your quiet struggle years ago and each year, you accidentally added another brick to the wall between you and God. All the while, you continued living the cultural Christian life while your heart gradually closed itself to God.  Years later, you…

You’re drinking information from a fire hose these days.  You feel pretty paralyzed about it. You’re going to disappoint somebody.  But you can still please God.  *** As you’re working it out— It’s okay to gradually process and ask God for wisdom.  It’s okay to cautiously step while reserving the right to reverse course. It’s…

Do we really tell wrecked souls suffering under the weight of darkness that it was always supposed to be this way? No, we tell them there’s a battle raging. We tell them the Truth. *** We tell them this battle is not against flesh and blood. That it’s so much more than what they see….

Some of you spend the rest of your life this way. —dreaming about hugging your person. . . .  The last time I hugged Mom was a silly Wednesday seven weeks ago.  The kids were losing their minds, and I was frantically shooing them out the door as I gathered my belongings. Mom’s fighting a…

Having trouble “feeling” the stirring love of our Savior? Sometimes feelings evade us. A long-lived faith will undoubtedly experience dry times.  Of course, our journey with Jesus is so much bigger than a feeling.  But like any love relationship, we can do our part; we can fan the flame.  So if you find yourself in the…

When the Easter dress is on its hanger and the basket sits on its shelf. When the pantry doors are closed and the apron’s on its hook. When the traditions stay tucked in their drawers and the day feels unfamiliar. You rose again. When the chairs at the table are empty and we can’t get…

Lord, we’re as thirsty as ever, and only You will do. . . . And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). Mark‬ ‭15:34‬ . . . For God so loved the world that he…

I’m here to rally for the person feeling stuck in the waiting. God has given you a glimpse of something He has for you. And if God said it, it’s as good as done. It’s only a matter of time. But you’re getting antsy and flexing your muscles and spinning your wheels trying to strong-arm…

You’re trying to lift your hands in worship, but the weight of life has you pinned to the floor.  That’s okay; worship from the floor.  “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14 NIV.) “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among…

This is for the perfectionist.  I may not know your specific struggle, but we can probably come together on how we think.  The enemy wants you to focus on your flawed self so much that your obsession with “holiness” mutes your effectiveness. This self-fixation is a dangerously sneaky form of pride.  Part of becoming mature…

Her blessing makes me feel a bit sour, if I’m being honest.  I wish it didn’t, and I need Christ’s transformation in this.  Sometimes, we need to give ourselves a talking to about the tiny, quiet bitter feelings that accidentally become bitter walls.    So when we feel that twinge of heartburn, we give it…

When the pain flows from your eyes onto your cheeks, let His Name flow from your lips. It may be mechanical at first. It may be a whisper. It may be through clenched teeth. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. He has an uncanny way of meeting us there in our desperate praises. Not because I said it….

I‘m shoulder to shoulder with you in this muddy trench. I don’t know why life looks like it does today. But there are two things of which I’m sure— We are not alone, and we are not helpless. Faith itself is a gift from God, but we get to participate. So when the flames of…

Has God called you to something specific? Are you suffocating under the weight of His call? Could you be trying to do it by yourself, in your own strength, on your own merit? His call comes with an essential component: dependence on Him. And I’m not just referring to His power that opens doors for…