I was heartsick to see the images of the beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral ablaze yesterday. Hundreds of years of history swept away in a brutal rush of flames. To think of all the stories it has born witness to: Napoleon walking in and declaring himself emperor, Mary I of Scotland marrying the Dauphin Francois, Louis Vierne dying while playing the Notre Dame cathedral organ (his life-long dream), and the Te Deum Mass to celebrate the liberation of Paris on August 26, 1944 while snipers shot Read More
Walking with God
An Open Letter to my Son: What Kind of Girl Should You Date?
I know. This isn’t your world right now, buddy. You’re into Mariokart and Legos. Captain America and sharks. But while your mind is busy soaking up the wonders of learning letters, numbers and who put their mouth on the water fountain at school, I’m praying for your future…more specifically, I’m praying for you and your future spouse. It’s important. The people you choose to surround yourself with now determines the person you’ll become ten years down the road. The books you read, the music you Read More
An Open Letter to My Girls: Who Should You Date?
It seems like yesterday I was welcoming you into the world. I thought you would always be in diapers, watching Sesame Street and learning your alphabet. I blinked and suddenly we’ve traded Cheerios and sippy cups for makeup and iphones. And now, much to your father’s dismay, your heads have begun to turn when a handsome boy gives you a wink and a smile. Boyfriends will come and go. You’ll face heartbreak and joy, tears and laughter. As someone who is, ahem, a bit older Read More
Pursuing Peace: What and Who to Avoid
“Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” ~Psalm 34:14 Part of seeking peace and pursuing it, not just seeking it but making it a defining characteristic of a believer’s life, is not solely found in a list of things to be, but is discovered within the Bible as specific things to avoid. No matter how much we dislike the thought, walking with Jesus requires cutting away things that harm us. Relationships that poison our emotions and thoughts. Patterns of living that Read More
My Word for 2019
“All of us want to be humble. None of want what it takes to get there.” I’m not sure who coined the phrase but I’ve learned it’s quite true. We long to have noble defining characteristics marking our spirit, but when we realize what we must endure to be shaped into that image, well, ‘walking the walk’ takes on a whole new meaning. 2018 has been the single hardest year of my entire life. My family and I have endured assaults on every front—multiple medical Read More
When Silence Isn’t Golden
I’ve recently spent the past few weeks on voice rest. After finding a massive yeast infection and a cyst on my vocal chords, my doctor insisted on medicine and as little speaking as possible for three weeks. It was frustrating to say the least, but I learned several lessons I pray I won’t forget. Lesson #1: There are so many ways to communicate. I’ve always known this, but I never truly understood that 90% of communication can be passed along with body language, mouthing, facial Read More
“But I’m Not a Teacher…”
You never know what melodramatic scenarios are being rehearsed in the mind of a five- year-old boy. Some days my son is shooting bad guys with Captain America and smashing enemies with Hulk. Other times he might be jumping through kingdoms with Mario and throwing fireballs at Bowser. As I drove him to school this morning, he stared out the window, watching the cattle pastures and electrical lines blur past. A frown puckered his lips and pinched his brows. “What are you thinking about, buddy?” Read More
Jesus is Mine
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 heart like no other is Fanny Crosby’s “Blessed Assurance”. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase Read More
Painting Rust
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 the south. Humidity is our bread and butter. However, after a few weeks I noticed the spots of orange spreading and taking away from the Read More
What Am I Really Chasing?
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 list that is never completed. Phone calls that never stop. Some days, I feel like I’m struggling just to keep my head above water. I Read More