There is a flattering mirror in the gym that makes me look like I don’t need to be at the gym. I have noticed it and while I usually avoid mirrors, I actually linger in front of this particular spot. I have believed its lies...
My past, my shame, my guilt, my pain: that all too familiar voice in my head. Shame consumed me for the first half of my life. It felt, at times, like I was in a dark hole, bound in chains, unable to find my way...
My friend said, “You know everyone.” I had heard that before while I was out with other friends, and it does feel that way sometimes. I have worked in the same community as a school counselor for over 25 years and been a member of...
I love the beach. One of my favorite things to do when I’m there is to go snorkeling, especially if the water is really clear. I’m a science nerd so I love seeing sea life I’ve learned about in school. Our creative God has made...
Around this time of year, nine years ago, I had what I trust, Lord willing, will be my last second date. Although I can’t remember too many details about where we were or even exactly what we did, I know that it was around that...
. . . 8, 9, 10! Ready or not, here I come! If I remember correctly, you hide and the point of the game is not to be found. This makes me laugh because most kids I have played with can’t stay hidden. They jump...
My sweet daughter turned one at the end of 2017, and that milestone has made me, not surprisingly, nostalgic. As I look back, there is no doubt that it’s been an incredible year, but the truth is that it’s also been a hard one. Motherhood...
I’m not a rescuer. Never have been—or at least I didn’t think I was. My parents didn’t rescue. They were “we pulled ourselves up by the bootstraps” kind of people and they raised my sister and me to be the same way....
Chemistry is the bane of my existence. For some unknown reason, I had the crazy notion in high school that it could be a good idea to take AP Chemistry. I spent the entire school year dreading that class, crying over the lab reports, and...
I'm a walking PR firm. It would almost be laughable were it not so real—and as someone who works in marketing for a living, I am painfully aware of how this whole thing works....
Shame creeps in like a thief in the night when we least expect it, doing only what shame can do: steal our joy, make us feel unworthy, unloved, not enough, dirty, and the list goes on. It can even paralyze us if we allow it...
Last week I decided to do some cleaning which entailed cleaning out my closet. In the process of that daylong chore, I found two things that I would have sworn were gone forever; a pair of earrings and my journal from the college years....
The email from our community group leaders said they would be out of town, but everyone could still get together if someone wanted to open their home to host. I felt a knot begin to form in my stomach. My fingers were heavy as lead...
I believe one of Satan's greatest tools is shame. He wields it delicately and tactfully, yielding a greater blow than much else can muster. It slides into our hearts after being whispered in our ears and grows and divides like a cancer, forming new lies...
Although the tabernacle was once a holy place of worship instituted by God, the writer of Hebrews reminds the Hebrew people of its limitations and ultimate failure to perfectly reconcile us to God. The tabernacle was only a precursor to the perfect tabernacle that we...