I don’t Pinterest. At least I didn’t used to. I looked up healthy kids recipes once. That was a mistake. Apparently it’s not good enough to feed your children veggies; the carrots, cucumber and olives should be arranged into adorable, friendly penguins. Seriously. Who has time for that? I’m lucky if I feed my kids with sufficient speed to save me from the jaws of their fury. I’ve been known to ... View Post
When You Don’t Think You Can Be Mom Anymore: Seeking Rest in the Weary
“I think the Holy Spirit has left me,” I texted to my best friend late one night after getting my kids into bed. I’d lost my patience with them throughout the evening as they fought over who was more stupid, who really had Jesus in their heart, who made the mess, who loves the dog more, who the dog loves more, who peed on the toilet, who’s driving mom crazier (it was a draw) – you get the idea. ... View Post
Traces of Grace: How What We See Shapes How We Believe
“Do you know all your letters?” the nurse asked Noah in the hallway at the pediatrician. “Yes,” he said enthusiastically, and then he began to sing his ABC’s. She interrupted him, pointing again at the vision chart. She wanted him to identify the letters on the wall. In his defense, she hadn’t made that clear. After the vision test was complete, the nurse looked at me with concern and said, ... View Post
Holy Land Highlights: Where Was Jesus?
Three weeks ago, in a hot parking lot outside a Virginia Chuck E. Cheese, my husband and I stood in a circle, prayed over our two boys, said our goodbyes, and prepared our hearts for the trip of a lifetime. I cried the whole way to the airport, took a break as we went through airport security, and then continued with the water works until shortly before our flight took off. In the previous ... View Post
Holy Land Highlights: The Photo Album
Dear sweet readers, my husband and I have just returned from our two-week journey to Greece and the Holy Land in Israel. If you follow me on Instagram or on Facebook, you've had the opportunity to follow along on this adventure with us. (If you aren't already a FB fan, look to the left and click LIKE.) I posted daily photos and a few videos of our most impactful moments. If you don't already ... View Post
Baggage Claim: How Does God Use Our Failure?
Sometimes, despite my best intentions, I feel like I can’t do anything right. My laundry room is piled up with clothes. There’s more toothpaste on the kids’ bathroom counter than in the tube. I ditch another opportunity to make a wholesome meal and instead load the family into the mini van for a field trip to the local Mexican restaurant. And those are just my perceived mothering failures. Don’t ... View Post
Baggage Claim: Dealing With Doubt
We're in the middle of my series addressing the baggage we can carry as we walk along in this journey following Christ. In week one, I introduced the idea of baggage. Last week we talked about the Trinity of Self as our first bag. This week we're addressing doubt. Have you ever watched a child wait in line for a ride at an amusement park? He starts out patient, a sweet smile in anticipation of ... View Post
BAGGAGE CLAIM: What’s Your Trinity Anyway?
It was big. Really big. No, not my appetite for Tostitos cheese dip (which I love) or my obsession with shoes (which is even bigger than my jewelry obsession), no, that’s not what I’m talking about. Those require adjectives of giant proportion. But what I’m talking about here is my nose. My best friend says it was a witch’s nose with a hook. When she says this to me I struggle to remember why ... View Post
BAGGAGE CLAIM: IS YOUR FAITH WALK BOGGED DOWN?
I fly a lot. I’ve slowly graduated from white-knuckle-gripping the armrests and praying in hushed, panicked gasps for Jesus to keep my airplane in the air to feeling like a jet-setter, brisk-walking through the airport with my savvy traveler know-how in my comfy Sketchers and leggings. No matter how many times I fly, though, I can’t stand the wait for my luggage. I stand awkwardly with my arms ... View Post