it’s about time
Timing is everything. I sat down this past Monday with one of my best friends to finally listen to a Beth Moore series I intended to listen to, oh, about *cough* six months ago, and was reminded, yet again, of this small but irrefutable fact. Timing. Is. Everything. I have alluded to the beginning of this year having been rough—physically, logistically, financially, parentally, maritally, professionally, creatively, emotionally, spiritually. Rough. What I’ve not shared—for a number of reasons—is how a rough winter went into a difficult spring then lapsed into a challenging...
Read Morewhat is worse than pain?
There is, I’ve found, something that is actually WORSE than the insidious vice grip of chronic pain that has had my by the neck for literally as long as I can remember. This is something WORSE than going from doctor to doctor to doctor, and leaving time and time again without an answer or a cure. Something WORSE than the constant suggestions, the “yes, I’ve already tried that,” the actual trying of five thousand different medications or diets or supplements or back-woods remedies. The hopes rising—then the disappointment inevitably falling like a thick blanket...
Read Morecan we be real? (how i lost my voice, and how i found it again)
Alright, folks—can we be real, here? Somewhere, along the line, things have gotten off track. I’ve been feeling it for a few months now, but haven’t been able to put my finger on it. At least not until I attended the Killer Tribes inaugural conference in Nashville a few weekends ago. And that was when I realized why this blog had started to feel like work, and why readership was becoming a bit flat. I had lost my voice. You would think, for someone who has built her whole writing career up until this point on finding my voice, I would have known better. And, to my credit, I was...
Read Morebecoming a better me: enjoy
We are rounding the corner into the home stretch now, Friends! Our focus for the beginning of this New Year has been on “Becoming a (Biblically) BETTER Me,” and we are down to our last two points to consider. But before we forge ahead, let’s review what we’ve learned so far. We are over halfway through our acronym, now, and so far have discussed our need to: Begin by breaking the power of inertia Embrace the work of Grace Trust in God’s goodness and sovereignty Turn from that which is sinful toward God This week? This week, friends, we learn to Enjoy. Did you hear...
Read Moretransformative trust
(This post is dedicated with my deepest sympathy and hope to Nicolle Bompart of Eyes Wide Open International) If you know me well, or if you’ve spent any time at all on my couch, you’ve heard me mention, at least once, Hannah Hurnard’s spiritual allegory, Hind’s Feet on High Places. On my Top Five Books of All Time list, its impact on my life, and on many others who have read it, has been profound. (You can read more about my own experience with “Much Afraid” here.) Hind’s Feet on High Places tells the story of little Much Afraid, a crippled and disfigured young...
Read Morebecoming a better me: embrace
We’ve all done it. Made our list of resolutions and set out with determined resolve to make a change. To eat better. To exercise more. To gripe less. To be nicer. To be neater. To be more organized. Over time, our resolve fades and our new habits fall to the wayside and we end up discouraged and heavy with shame over our perceived inadequacies. The shame weighs us down—increasing our discouragement and rendering us inert—and we slowly sink into the muck of our own making. All of our best, earthly attempts to pry us free from the paralyzing grip of shame fall...
Read Morewhen inertia sabotoges a great beginning
I learned last winter, under the tutelage of “Professor Ray” at the Hands On Museum in Ann Arbor, that inertia causes something to resist a change in motion. Just to be certain Professor Ray wasn’t making this up, I went straight to the source of all truth and knowledge: Wikipedia. The experts at Wikipedia state: Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendancy of an object to resist any change in its motion. This is interesting to me as one who strives to create change, both in myself and others. See, I always thought...
Read Morefourth sunday of advent: from darkness into light
There is a new fixture in the console of my car, and I’m not happy about it. The hard, gray case is a subtle reminder—my eyes are telling me I’m getting older. Looking back, I recognize this has been coming for some time now, but it wasn’t until about six months ago when the thought finally became clearly articulated in my head: I can’t see in the dark. After a reluctant (and expensive) visit to the optometrist, the problem has become clear— in the absence of enough light, my eyes just flat out refuse to focus. In fact, unless it is complete daylight, I struggle to see...
Read Moreword of the day: expectation
Definition of EXPECTATION: A strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future. A belief that someone will or should achieve something. The act or state of expecting : eager anticipation. The basis for expecting : assurance. The state of being expected. EXPECTATION redefined: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 What are YOU expecting this...
Read Moreliving in the moment
As I was sitting on the beach this morning, recovering from my tryptophan overdose, I was struck by this section from my reading and thought it fitting to share: Joseph Campbell suggested that there is a unique track, a particular life adventure, waiting for each one of us, and when we step forward to embrace our adventure, doors begin to open that we never saw before, doors that could not open for anyone else. It was Campbell’s belief that our real work in this world is to achieve integrity between what we believe and how we live. “The privilege of a lifetime,” he...
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