WRITER SPEAKER TEACHER
My phone rang last Friday night. It was a close friend I had been playing phone tag with, so I answered quickly. As soon as I heard her voice on the other end of the line, I knew she wasn’t calling just to catch up or to schedule a girl’s night. She was upset, frustrated,…Continue Reading “Job’s Friends Didn’t Completely Suck”
As I am writing this, one of my best friends is packing up to move 200 miles away. (There might be a few tears on my keyboard. I wonder if that’s covered under the protection plan?) I know we will remain friends and visit and text and call, but it won’t quite be the same….Continue Reading “The Best of Friends”
In a letter to her husband, Abigail Adams once wrote, “We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them.” That may seem like an ironic quote to read from a blogger who obviously has a great love of words, but I have purposefully refrained from posting anything the past few weeks…Continue Reading “Too Many Words”
It’s a census year. Have you completed your response to the 2020 US Census? Humans love to count and measure things, don’t we? It’s comforting. If we can quantify it then surely, we can understand it and maybe even control it, right? It’s also often prideful. When we number our possessions, or likes, or circle…Continue Reading “A Census, a Plague, Have Mercy!”
Who else thinks that the thrift stores are going to have a heyday when they all open again? So many people I know have used the extra time on their hands during our sheltering in place to clean out attics, closets, basements, and garages. I’m guessing that those of you who enjoy thrift store shopping…Continue Reading “Quarantine Cleaning and Playing Offense”
As I am writing this, my grandfather is likely approaching his final days on earth. His almost 91-year-old body, which has been ravaged by old age and dementia, is giving out. And although we will miss him being with us when God calls him to eternity, I know his spirit longs to be with His…Continue Reading ““I’m Blessed””
One of the greatest sources of stress during this global pandemic is that so many of us are facing potentially life-altering decisions for which there doesn’t seem to be a good answer. We want to make wise decisions that lead to prudent action, but there is so much that is unknown. Healthcare workers must choose…Continue Reading “We Want All The Facts”
Can we just sit for a minute and collectively catch our breath? The past few weeks have completely upended life for most of us as we grapple with the aggressive spread of the COVID-19 virus and its effects on our schedules, family, jobs, social networks, finances…I mean, really, is there any part of our…Continue Reading “Think About These Things”
King Manasseh of Judah had a reputation and it wasn’t a good one. You can read his full story in both 2 Chronicles 33 and 2 Kings 21, but let me just hit a few highlights– He built altars to false gods. He practiced sorcery and consulted fortune tellers and mediums. He burned his own…Continue Reading “I Didn’t Deserve It Either”
Complacency is death to our spiritual life. AW Tozer says, “The degree of fullness in any life accords perfectly with the intensity of true desire. We have as much of God as we actually want…Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted….Continue Reading “He Waits To Be Wanted”
Tuesday marked the two-year anniversary of Mike’s death. It wasn’t a sad day. Mike confidently knew where he would spend eternity and I have no doubt that his spirit is at this moment present with the Lord. No, Tuesday wasn’t a sad day, but it was a day of reflection. I remembered the intensity of…Continue Reading “Sometimes Our Worst Fears Come True”
In a 2016 interview, Bible study teacher and author Jen Wilkin, described me. OK, not really, she was describing herself, but the subject might as well have been me. In the interview she said… “I want to be a person that doesn’t need other people…I just want to be free from being dependent on anyone…Continue Reading “We Need To Get Off Our Pedestals”
Keep your eye on the ball!Eyes on the prize!I’ve got my eye on you! When something or someone is of utmost importance, our number one focus, we often use phrases like these. When our eyes are locked in, utterly transfixed on one thing, all else fades into the background and diminishes in our attention. King Jehoshaphat…Continue Reading “Eyes on the Prize!”
If you’ve ever visited London and used the Underground (the subway) to navigate the city, you’re familiar with the repeated admonishment to “Mind The Gap.” The gap referred to is the space between the train and the platform. Although to my American ears, the constant “Mind the Gap” warnings in a very pleasant British accent…Continue Reading “Mind the Gap!”
The end of the year and beginning of a new one always brings a time of reflection but as we venture into a new decade, everyone seems particularly interested in looking back at how far they’ve come (or failed to) in the past ten years. I could bore everyone to tears writing about all the…Continue Reading “Be Still”
A few weeks ago, everyone was posting decade transformation photos that showed what they looked like as this decade began vs. how they now look as this decade draws to a close. I started to post mine then but began to reflect on the past ten years. What a decade it’s been! In 2009, we…Continue Reading “Don’t Forget the Manna”
Discontentment. Sounds innocuous doesn’t it? Murder, adultery, lies–those all sound like the awful things they are. Discontentment, however, that doesn’t seem so terrible. But one of Satan’s greatest victories occurs when he deceives us into believing that our sins aren’t all that bad. And this time of year, discontentment is rampant as we buy more, decorate more, party…Continue Reading “The Hellish Sin of Discontent”
For many, the holidays truly are the most joyous time of the year–expressing gratitude for our blessings, celebrating the ultimate gift of Emmanuel, God with us, and spending precious time with family and friends. But for those who are grieving or alone–whether because of the death of a loved one, a divorce, a betrayal, or…Continue Reading “Is Everything Sad Going to Come Untrue?”
The past couple of months have been personally chaotic and challenging. I’ve felt trapped in an old variety show act, desperately trying to keep all the plates spinning on their poles while Sabre Dance frantically and loudly plays over and over. Last week, in particular, was rough, as I felt pulled in a million directions…Continue Reading “I’m Not Wonder Woman”
Last week I wrote about living life alongside each other by bearing one another’s burdens as we are called to do in Galatians 6:2. This week let’s back up one verse and talk about another way we desperately need each other. “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore…Continue Reading “Love Me Enough to Hold Me Accountable”
My husband died on a Sunday morning. I remember that morning vividly–the ache of knowing he had minutes left to breathe. Holding his hand and gently rubbing his arm while choking back tears and trying to find some brilliant final words in case he could still hear me. Telling my kids their Dad was…Continue Reading ““I’m Fine, Thanks!””
And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms…But Peter said, “I have no silver and…Continue Reading “Sunday School Flashback”
Years ago, when my son Ben was younger, I was known on Facebook for posting “Ben-isms.” Ben is extremely intelligent and has a quick wit. He is also not afraid to express his opinions, so you can imagine that created some hilarious moments. Like the time I scolded him for getting angry at a video game…Continue Reading “But It’s Tricky”
If you follow me on social media, you saw many photos last week from the If:Lead Conference in Dallas (sorry for the overgramming…not really!) I knew something special was bound to happen. How could it not? Over 900 women leaders, the go-getters, the ones who make things happen, from all over the US and Canada,…Continue Reading “Why Aren’t We Living Free?”
Fair warning! This is a longer than normal post and it was a difficult one for me to write. I love to share stories that show evidence of God’s peace and comfort and faithfulness in my life–and there are many of them. But in mostly sharing those reflections, I worry that I have inadvertently put…Continue Reading “I Was Really Angry at God”
Thanks for hanging with me through this three-part series on living a surrendered life! If you need to catch up, you can read the full posts here–Part 1 and Part 2. But here is a quick recap… From Part 1: God is many things we are not: omnipotent, omniscient, immutable, infinite, eternal, sovereign. Although we are…Continue Reading “And finally…Part 3–Three Essentials for a Surrendered Life”
In Part 1 of Three Essentials for a Surrendered Life (which you can read here), I made the point that to truly live a surrendered life it is critical we have a right view of who God is and who we are not. We observed that in Philippians 2:6-7 even Jesus Christ did not consider…Continue Reading “Part 2 – Three Essentials for a Surrendered Life”
I recently had the privilege of talking with Byron Tyler for his show, Mid-South View Point, on the Bott Radio Network. If you missed the interview, you can listen here. Byron and I talked a lot about surrender. As Christ-followers we often think of surrender in terms of God asking us to yield our future…Continue Reading “Three Essentials for a Surrendered Life (Part 1)”
What a privilege to share my story with Byron Tyler and his MidSouth Viewpoint listeners! I pray that these words give encouragement and hope to other widows, but also to anyone questioning and searching for comfort, peace and joy.
“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” Philippians 1:12 I had the extreme honor of spending this past weekend with the ladies of Christ Church Memphis for their annual women’s retreat. This year’s theme was “This is my Story. This is my Song.”…Continue Reading “This is My Story. This is My Song.”
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3 Mourning. Ashes.Heaviness. These are the perfect…Continue Reading “How to Find Beauty in the Ashes”
I am so excited today to introduce all of you to my precious grandmother. She will be 91 years old tomorrow! A lot of who I am comes from her: red hair (although hers has grayed now), independence, love of coffee, work ethic, sarcastic humor, penchant for expressing my opinion, and a little bit of sassiness….Continue Reading “For the Next Generation”
On February 11, 2018, after a long battle with cancer, my husband Mike won the final fight and left us to continue eternity in the presence of his Lord and Savior. Although watching Mike slowly succumb to the effects of the cancer, holding his hand as he took his final breath, and carrying on without…Continue Reading “Welcome to My Story”