Adoption is a beautiful, messy, scary thing, sometimes unpredictable, but always worth it. ...

13 February, 2017

The beginning of a new year always has a way of causing us to pause and reflect on the previous year, but to also look forward to the upcoming year. On Sunday, the teaching took us back through the history of our church, our unique...

03 January, 2017

As Christmas gets closer and closer, the feelings of long loved traditions and the nostalgia begins to set in. I find myself caught in this tension of living in remembrance of what was, and living in hope of what is to come....

22 December, 2016

I so vividly remember the quiet, dark room where I lay holding my second child.  It was only a couple of hours after she was born, my husband was sleeping on the hospital chair next to me, and for awhile now there had been no...

15 December, 2016

All I could think is “for once, I just want to hear some really good news.” ...

13 December, 2016

My husband’s grandmother was someone whom I consider a giant in the faith.  The thing I think was her greatest example of faith was how she had God’s word hidden in her heart, always on her tongue, and constantly pouring out of her fingers through...

06 December, 2016

While taking a power nap one afternoon last week, I turned on the television to drown out the barking dog next door.  As I was waking up, I heard the word “God” mentioned in the mindless fluff that was playing and it caught my attention.  The...

29 November, 2016

Here we are, about to move into the holiday season again. For me, there’s a sort of holiday cycle that I tend to go through. At first, I’m peaceful. Lovely images of how the holidays could be, with my family and traditions and football rivalry...

24 November, 2016

The holidays are upon us, and with this time of year, comes one of my favorite holidays. Before jumping to visions of dancing sugar plums and all things red and green, know that I am not talking about Christmas. Of course, I love Christmas. I...

22 November, 2016

I can’t believe I’m hearing this song again. This summer, the Lord was reaching out to me over and over again through a song, and well I just wasn’t getting it. Lauren Daigle’s “Trust in You” came on every time I would get in the...

17 November, 2016

A little over a month ago, I was doing my morning devotion and the focus verse for the day was out of Leviticus 13. I was not familiar with this passage of Scripture so I read through the entire chapter. Chapter 13 details how the...

15 November, 2016

In 1 Samuel 25, we see Abigail live out her calling to be an Ezer, or an essential counterpart, who comes alongside both David and her husband, Nabal, to bring strength and security. She partners with both men as she shields Nabal, her fool...

03 November, 2016

When each of these previous roles came to an end- “basketball player”, “teacher/coach”, and “FCA staff member”- I found myself frustrated, discouraged, really seeking purpose and significance and questioning who I was. ...

20 September, 2016

Many Christians in the church mistakenly believe that one must be married in order to serve as a foster parent. But Carol Ann Denyer is shattering that misconception. As a single, young woman Carol Ann felt God prompting her to become a foster parent. "A...

11 August, 2016

I have always found comfort in the absolutes. This is wrong and this is right. Bad guy. Good guy. Wide path. Narrow path. As a young believer growing up, I loved living in a black and white world. My little human brain could handle the...

07 July, 2016

One of the most beautiful lessons I have learned from my parents over the years is that building kingdoms here on earth will not make you happy.  There is something about having little that gives one such a feeling of freedom. My dad has truly toiled...

28 June, 2016

I am a mom of two little girls. One is seven years old, the other five. I have the opportunity to partner with my husband in his work, and really enjoy helping him in that regard.   My weeks are filled with two different carpool lines,...

05 May, 2016

Being seen, acknowledged, and admired has admittedly been a big driving force in my life. The never-satisfied hunger for approval and attention has motivated many of my decisions. When I was little, I would dream of being a movie star. I pictured myself surrounded by...

26 April, 2016

My ten-year-old daughter and I recently ran a 5k together. We were excited that morning as we got ready to go. It was cold, but at least the sun was shining. It was a beautiful day to run. Our whole family had been counting down...

15 March, 2016

As a young child, I had this idea in my mind of what prayer looked like. It meant bowing your head, closing your eyes, and reciting “God is Great” before a meal. I’m thankful that is not all communicating with God is, a respectful recitation, because...

08 March, 2016

As a twenty-something, the pressure to develop your own identity, to stand out of the crowd, seems to keep growing.   The entire concept behind Facebook hinges on how you want to be perceived by others. You choose your profile picture, update your status, control what...

03 March, 2016

The “Me” series was a lot to process, bringing much conviction of my sinful bent to love myself more than God. But in the midst of all that conviction, Bill’s message on “Vanity: I Love/Hate My Body” brought an unexpected word of comfort to this...

25 February, 2016

“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” CS Lewis, Mere Christianity CS Lewis's definition of humility keeps coming back to my mind as I think through and process what we learned in the "Me" series. In some ways, it goes...

23 February, 2016

I never realized how much I have in common with a proud, hard to love hunter in Greek mythology until walking through our previous series. I never would have put Narcissus and myself in the same sentence, but now I frequently do. Just like him, I...

18 February, 2016

Sleep.  It’s something that eludes me. I suffer long and frequent bouts of sleeplessness. I don’t know which is worse though, the sleepless nights or the prescription medicine to prevent it! This particular medication for helping me to get some rest has possibly the worst taste...

26 January, 2016