dropping the rope
There are days when words just don’t come. I’ve had a string of about twenty-one of them. That nagging feeling of “I should write” playing tug-o-war with the futility of “I have nothing to say”—a constant pulling back and forth that most recently seems to end with me back in bed, covers askew and cats aplenty as I burrow deeper under both. I do not like the constant pulling and tugging—the relentless tension in the line, the way each side digs in their feet and sets their weight in opposition to the other, the rope burns on my hands. I despise the taunting and...
Read Moreof truth and tattoos
It’s no secret flying is not one of my favorite things. The turbulence (aka: falling straight out of the sky a little bit at a time), the ear-popping (as if my head didn’t ALREADY HURT), the joy of feeling the plane sway from side to side as the pilot is attempting to land (did you know more than 80% of crashes occur during the first three minutes of takeoff, or the last eight minutes before landing?), and don’t even get me STARTED on the germ factor (did you ALSO know I am 100% likely to get the flu or a sinus infection within 24-48 hours of having ridden on a plane? True...
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 Morewhen god (and your daughter) turn your life upside down
It would appear God is preparing to stretch me in ways I wasn’t quite prepared to be stretched. The writing thing? Yep. Was prepared for THAT stretching. Knew it would be uncomfortable. Knew it would be hard. And time-consuming. And eeeeeeennnndlessssssssss. But these newest helpings on my plate? I don’t know where they came from. I just looked down and they were suddenly there, touching the other food on my plate and overwhelming me a bit with their portion size. Both of these big scoops of faith-stretching goodness have to do with my middle...
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 Moreyou tell me: shortcuts
What shortcuts enjoyment for you and steals your enjoyment of the moment? Why is it hard to be IN the season you’re in? How do you practice trusting God with tomorrow so as to enjoy today? If you sat down with a blank piece of paper, how long would it take to fill it with things you are thankful for? Are you willing to try it and see? What might you need to surrender to the Lord in order to enjoy the life you have been...
Read Morepracticing mindfulness=practicing the present AND the presence
We concluded on Monday that if we are to ENJOY the season of life we’re in—to know Paul’s secret to being joyful and content in all circumstances—we must learn to live in the present, not worrying about tomorrow. And we must live each day expressing thanks to God for each and every good gift and surrendering every bit of our will and desires and plans to him—for that day, and for all others— in the process. It sounds easy. Until you try it, that is. Living in the present requires a skill that has recently come back into vogue: mindfulness. If we are to live in the NOW,...
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 Moreturning from empty wells
Finally, friends, we must, if we want to be BETTER—molded into the image of Jesus—we must turn from sinful means of coping toward total dependence on God. These sinful and unhealthy coping mechanisms are best referred to as idols—anything we turn to rather than turning to God—and they are best described in Jeremiah: My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. (Jeremiah 2:13) These broken cisterns, or empty wells as they are sometimes referred to, can range from the...
Read Moreyou tell me: turning points
What do you sense God might be prompting you to turn from? To? What most gets in the way of doing this? What can you do about that? What will you do?
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