I’m disillusioned. I’ve lived my entire life in church, nestled safely inside the Bible Belt and surrounded by believers just like me—flawed people who desperately love Jesus and are trying to do their best to figure this whole Christian-Living-thing out. None of us are perfect. Churches can be pretty messed up places because, well, they are filled with broken, sinful …
I was recently asked to name my favorite praise song or hymn of all time. Several tunes flitted through my mind. Matt Maher’s “Lord, I Need You” is a definite favorite, along with “It is Well with My Soul”, “He Hideth my Soul”, “He Leadeth Me” and “Great is thy Faithfulness”. But the one song that whispers peace to my …
Our front door is a mess. It’s a white door with glass insets, trimmed with frosted scroll work around the edges. It would be quite lovely…were it not for the bubbled rust marring the bottom corner. When the first signs of moisture damage popped up, I wasn’t too worried. After all, it was only a little rust. We live in …
There are a few things that remind me of spring and summer: fireflies, the scent of honeysuckle, and dandelions. Even as a child, I’ve always been fond of those downy domes of fluff. I would clutch a stem in my fingers and blow, watching its feathery wisps dance and scatter through the air. Beauty in one eye is misery in …
I have no idea how it started. Little hints of discouragement. The nagging whispers of “Those other authors are better than you. Their books look like they are doing well. Is yours even selling?” A rough day with the kids and that poisonous hiss tickled my ear. “If you were a better mom, this wouldn’t have happened.” A long to-do …
Redemption is a beautiful thing. There is something, dare I say, romantic about someone with power and position plucking a nobody from the crowd and claiming them as their own. Perhaps that’s why I’ve so frequently heard the Gospel compared to a fairy tale story. A king sweeping the lonely girl away to a land where all her dreams come …
The pastor walked back down the dirt trail etched in the side of the Arkansas mountains, his heart heavy. The new visitor at church had begged and pleaded. “Please, sir. Please visit my family. They live up in the mountains just outside of town. I’ve been telling them about Jesus, about how he changed me but I don’t think they’re …
A cold, clenched stomach. Darkness. A pounding heart. All you want to do is hide. You beg the eyes fixed on you to disappear but they won’t. They gape and you wonder what they must think, how they must see you. You feel worthless. Exposed. I’m talking about shame. Is there a more miserable feeling? Growing up with a seizure …
A counterfeit is only good if it looks like the real thing, and there are con men who dedicate their entire lives to the art of cheating someone out of a dollar, their livelihood, or their life. According to infamous hustlers, great con men succeed in three areas. First, they are good listeners. Forget about that silver tongue. A cheater …
It’s been a rough couple of weeks. End of the year school activities. New summer schedules. Church classes to teach. Writing deadlines and an upcoming book to launch. Loved ones in the hospital and children going through tough stuff. Life can sometimes keep us spinning. To use a Southern turn of phrase…I’ve been dragging tail. I confess I’ve begun to …