Smart enough. Pretty enough. Talented enough. Enough time, enough money, enough ______. You fill in the blank. So many voices whisper “You’re not good enough,” or “You don’t have enough.” Maybe scream is a better word, really. The explosion of social media has only made these voices louder. Scroll through your Facebook feed…

It’s Sunday. You’re home, preparing for the big holiday dinner coming later this week. There’s a lot of traffic outside, so you almost don’t hear the knock on the door. When you get to it, there’s a couple of weather-worn working guys, a little rough-looking, standing there. One of them is untying your donkey and her colt…

I tend to have a problem with completion. I’m an all-or-nothing type of girl; if I can’t complete it, or can’t have it completely, I think I might as well not bother. I’d rather skip the journey and get right to the destination. And yet, I have an embarrassing number of projects in various stages of un-finish in my house (and in my life)…

It’s finally spring here in Michigan! We’re  seeing buds on the trees and flowers blooming in our gardens. There are finally green shoots peeking up, promising new life. That’s what we love to celebrate in spring, isn’t it? New life! Spring is the year’s new beginning, everything starting again fresh and new. As believers we celebrate new and eternal life because of Easter…

At twenty, I knew my purpose in life. I was going to be an artist, maybe own an art supply store. I was going to get married soon out of college, have six kids, and sit on the wrap-around-porch of a big farmhouse out in the country watching those kids play on our land. I’m not sure how those two dreams fit together, but there you go. It was my Purpose…

We’ve made it to the final six points of our list of “Rules for God’s Daughters”! You can read all about the inspiration for this list in “Rules for God’s Daughters: Part 1”. So to recap: This list really resonates with me as the mom of a young daughter. But it also set off some warning bells. The Bible says to “test everything”…

Welcome to part 5 of “Rules for God’s Daughters”! If you’re just joining us, this a 6-post series based on a “copy and share” Facebook post I read recently. You can read all about that, and see the full list in “Rules for God’s Daughters: Part 1”. To recap: This list really resonates with me as the mom of a young daughter…

Welcome to part 4 of “Rules for God’s Daughters”! If you’re just joining us, this a 6-post series based on a “copy and share” Facebook post I read recently. You can read all about that, and see the full list in “Rules for God’s Daughters: Part 1”. To recap: This list really resonates with me as the mom of a young daughter…

Welcome to part 3 of “Rules for God’s Daughters”! If you’re just joining us, this a 6-post series based on a “copy and share” Facebook post I read recently. You can read all about that, and see the full list in “Rules for God’s Daughters: Part 1”. Today we’re checking out #11-15 of the list. To recap: This list really resonates with me as the mom…

Today is part 2 of “Rules for God’s Daughters”, a 6-post series based on a “copy and share” Facebook post I read recently. You can read all about that, and see the full list in “Rules for God’s Daughters: Part 1”. Today I’m looking at #6-10 of the list (there are 31 items total!). To recap: This list really resonates with me as the mom of a young daughter…

Today I read one of those “copy and share” posts on Facebook. This one is called “Rules for My Daughter”. It resonated with me – but it also set off some warning bells. One of the devil’s greatest weapons is subtle lies: things that look good or feel good but are just a little twisted from God’s truth. As I read this list…

I’ve read that “if you’re not happy here, you won’t be happy there”. This is a truth that I have known intellectually for a long time, but only now is it sinking into my heart in a way that I can truly understand. I’ve often wondered: if God wants me happy, why doesn’t He move me to “that place” where I just know I’ll be happy…