“Slow of speech doesn’t mean slow of mind.” I stuttered as a child and I remember the frustration of a brain that was brimming with ideas and words, yet was burdened with a tongue that refused to obey. I would be desperately trying to share something with my mom or dad and my lips would stall. My parents patient admonition to “Slow down, sis” would force me to take a deep breath but it didn’t help the words flow any easier. The only thing that Read More
Blog
My Word for 2021
Most of us are ready to kiss 2020 goodbye. It’s been a marker of disease and death, upheaval and shock. Yet simply turning over the pages of a calendar doesn’t mean life magically rids itself of pain. No one but God knows what the next year holds which is why I’ve been so thoughtful about what word I’ll choose to meditate on during this upcoming year. After much prayer, I feel God leading me toward the word HOPE. Years ago, Steve Westbrook ingrained in my Read More
Is It Better “To Do” or “To Be”: How a Goal-Driven Person Seeks God
Not long ago, I finished up a beautiful study on the book of Hosea by Jennifer Rothschild. She challenged her readers to do something I love: to make a to-be list instead of a to-do list. I’m prolific at creating master to-do lists. They give me a sense of control, a sense of accomplishment and keep my cluttered mind from letting crucial jobs slip through the cracks of my faulty memory. (Correction: these things give me illusion of control, accomplishment and clearer brain function.) Despite Read More
Christmas Treasure: The True Eyewitness Testimony of Bethlehem Shepherds
One of the blessings, and sometimes headaches, of being a historical author is the amount of research I have to wade through each week. On occasion, a gem appears that is so rare, so astoundingly beautiful, that it makes the hours of sleeplessness worth every moment. Each Christmas I find particular joy in digging anew into the accounts of Jesus’ birth. I’ve studied Simeon, Anna, the outposts around Bethlehem, the innkeeper, Mary…the possibilities are endless. But this year, I was giddy to discover a letter Read More
How Thanksgiving Came to the United States and Why
When elementary school teachers across our nation tell their students the origins of Thanksgiving, there are accounts of pilgrims and Indians, complete with black-buckled hats and feathered headdresses, talk of starving people and the wisdom of men like Squanto who taught the Mayflower pilgrims how to survive amid a challenging new world. And while none of these accounts are wrong, the breaking of bread between the new Europeans and the Wampanoag tribesmen were not the beginning of Thanksgiving as we celebrate it today. In 1789, Read More
Will You Take the 30 Day What-You-Say Challenge?
Words are powerful. They can build up a life through language doused in love, or they can cut a life down like a scythe slicing through brittle grass. When I recently asked my oldest daughter what she loved most about her best friend at school, she replied, “I’ve never heard her say a bad word about anyone. She speaks the truth, sometimes very directly, but always with kindness of love. She’s not a backstabber. It’s hard not to love being around someone like that.” Her Read More
The Tale of Two Dances
“Daddy, wanna dance?” The mirror ball sprinkled light across the darkened room, washing the space in prisms of blue, red, green and purple. The father sighed and stuffed pressed the ‘end call’ button on his cellphone before shoving it back down in his pocket. He held up a finger. “One dance, Priscilla.” As the pumping beat of “Dance Like Your Daddy” rumbled the gym floor, Priscilla looked up into her father’s face as she hopped from foot to foot. But he was barely moving, absently Read More
What’s up with the Christian Cliches?
Guys, sometimes we just need to stop. Stop and think about what we say. Words have power. They have meaning. What we say can build up a life or destroy it. The phrases we so easily fling from our lips can stir up hate and violence, or bring peace. They can cause someone to run to the arms of a loved one, or dash away into the night. They can bend the thoughts of the wise or crush the weak. Sometimes, I think we hear Read More
When Love Rescues
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 listening.” The young man’s ears reddened. “My family is a mite…peculiar. Superstitious. They think I’m confused but I believe they might listen to you.” He Read More
In High Cotton and a chat with Ane Mulligan!
I can’t wait to introduce you to a dear friend and fellow Southerner…my buddy Ane Mulligan! Ane is one of those special people who is bursting with sunshine. She has a brand new story out entitled In High Cotton and I invited her here to tell you all about it. (And she’s brought a yummy recipe with her.) So without further ado…here’s Ane! Thank you, Tara, for allowing me to meet your readers. A big Georgia “hey” to all y’all. (That’s hello in Georgian). When Read More