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Planning for a Winning Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is next week, a holiday just as likely to cause disappointment as celebration. Watch your Facebook feed on February 14 and you’re sure to see a variety of responses. I’ve mulled this...
View ArticleAn Easter Sunday Scripture
Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of...
View ArticleWholly Welcome
My soundtrack as of late has been this playlist I created of autumn piano tunes. They’re soft, they’re contemplative, and they’re a wee bit melancholy. All things I could say of myself. It’s taken me...
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The Beauty of God’s Word
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its...
View ArticleA Note to All of You on Mother’s Day
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30 (NIV) We know this day is a complex one full of many emotions and experiences, so we are...
View ArticleFor Your Memorial Day: Six Ways to Find Peace in a Hectic World
Our family will visit the cemetery today. Someone from the American Legion will hand us poppies. The pastor will say a few words to those who’ve gathered. And then, we will bow our heads for a moment...
View ArticleOur Freedom Is a Privilege
The freedom we enjoy is a privilege, so as we gather together with family and friends to enjoy the sun and have fun, let’s take a moment to remember the weight of freedom, to take stock of what we...
View ArticleGod, We Remember That Day
God, we remember that day eighteen years ago as if it just happened. We remember the moment we first heard the news. We remember the images blazing across our TV screen and hearts. We remember those we...
View ArticleRemember, the Holidays Are a Magnifying Glass
The pumpkins are still on the porch, but the Christmas train is already picking up speed. If your family is anything like mine, plans are already being made for dinners and parties. If your grocery...
View ArticleYou Don’t Have to Do It All
I closed my eyes and gently pressed two fingers on my right eyelid to stop it from twitching. The holidays were getting closer, and my brain would not stop reminding me of all I needed to do, gifts I...
View ArticleYou Don’t Have to be Okay to be Here
I just wanted to hide. I wanted to be alone. I needed to be alone. I escaped into the bathroom, leaned my back against the door, unbuttoned the top button of my jeans and exhaled. In here, I could be...
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‘Tis the Season to Celebrate
I’m going to make a feather-ruffling, potentially unpopular, and highly controversial statement. It’s probably the most polarizing thing I’ve ever said at (in)courage. Hang on to your hats. I’ve been...
View ArticleEmbracing Grief and Glory Through the Holidays
I still remember our first Thanksgiving after my husband Ericlee died. My family tried to hold it together. We tried to stay the course with certain traditions, but it was clear everything was...
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Letting Go This Christmas Season
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35 (NLT) A...
View ArticleThe Holiday Season Is Stressful: Here’s How You Can Get Some Peace
Last year around Christmas, Mark and I braved a local shopping area for some gifts on our list. We braced ourselves for crowds and lines, loud songs playing over store speakers, irritable drivers...
View ArticleIs a Simple Christmas Possible?
Have you started singing “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” yet? Admittedly, I’m a humming machine right now. The sights, sounds, and nostalgia of the holiday season have drawn me in, and my...
View ArticleDealing with December Deadlines
Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people. Colossians 3:23 (CSB) If I’d never worked in advertising (or fundraising or publishing), I might think it was a...
View ArticleTo the Woman Who Feels Crowded by Christmas
We are covered to the elbows in red and green paint, but the festive wrapping paper stretched out to dry on the table before us more than justifies the mess. The toddler points to his distinctively...
View ArticleFor the Suffering This Season
I sit in the glow of the Christmas tree, watching the flame of my prayer candle flicker. It reminds me to hold close in prayer those suffering this season. It reminds me of the Light of the world. I...
View ArticleThe Twinkling Glory of Christmas Eve
“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone...
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