Jesus lived in community. He surrounded himself with the twelve disciples and many others, such as Lazerus, Mary and Martha, and Mary Magdalene, just to name a few that come to mind. Sure, he was their rabbi, their leader. But he needed them, too. They assisted him in his ministry (Luke 9:1-6). They gathered withContinue reading “Created for Community”
Category Archives: Spiritual Growth
I Have Overcome
I hope that if you are reading this and think you can’t handle just one more ounce of suffering that you will find comfort in that I know what that’s like.
Beautifully Broken
I had the skewed idea that since I was a Christian, my sins washed clean by the blood of Christ, I should always appear completely whole. I believed my insides should always be overflowing with praise to God for His Goodness, my outsides should continually exude Christ’s joy.
Fighting Anger
Our society is currently filled with a lot of anger due to a conglomeration of current events. Anger seeps into conversation like the serpent snuck into the garden of Eden. Anger destroys relationships. Anger destroys people. I’ve struggled with anger my whole life. It builds up quickly and overtakes my rational mind like the flick of a match.
Called to be Steadfast
I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. I do believe, however, there is value in going into a new year with purpose.
Running From My Idol
The bulletin board in my bedroom glistened with neat rows of race medals meticulously labeled. My identity displayed above where I slept. Thanks be to God for this gift!
Conflict Un-resolution – Part 2: The Lesson
This is the kind of thing that would cause a person to walk away from God and His church. Thankfully my family and I know that people, even pastors, are fallible but God is not.
Conflict Un-Resolution – Part 1: The Fall
The difficulty with Donny built up slowly but then fell down fast, like an eagle swooping down to collect its prey. I was left reeling, in shock, and deeply wounded. My husband, the rock, forged ahead and sought the Lord for how to deal with it.
Hearing God
Connecting with God through listening prayer can be impactful for you, those you know, and those He knows. But it’s not enough for you to only have these conversations. You also need to act on them. What benefit is there to have a talk with God in the presence of His Spirit if you don’t do anything with what He’s told you?
When The Mountain Will Not Break You
The obvious point of the good Samaritan story is that we should love our neighbor, no matter how broken or difficult they are. This story and “The Golden Rule” are well accepted in society as common sense good morals. It’s just good teaching. However, when you look a little deeper, your eyes are opened to the between the lines. I am the robbed, beaten, unconscious, wounded man with nothing left in the world. I’m not good enough for the priest to take notice. I’m too much of a bother for the Levite to take notice. I’m hanging on for dear life and completely helpless.
Homesick Refocused
Lake ripples roll out a lullaby of childhood memories. Full of life, waves sweep me up in their motion. “Shlip, shlip, gulp, shlap” sings the song of my youth. The dinging of the masts in the sleepy marina ring out a melody of memories gone by.
Rebuilding My Life After Sheer Destruction
I wrongly assumed that the rebuilding had to do only with the physical – our business, our finances, the physical needs of our family, our community, my mental health. The physical, yes. But that’s only a small part of it. First the spiritual. If the spiritual isn’t built up, then the strength for the physical is not. It’s all rooted in the spiritual.
Grieving My Scars
I’m grieving my scars
Both inside and out
I’m grieving the losses
That created self doubt
…
Scars are physical, mental, and emotional. It’s ok to grieve them.
The Enduring Leader
A lot of who I am today is because of the belief, values, and characteristics Coach Inglis instilled in me in my 4 years under his coaching. God puts people in your life for a reason. Hold onto those who have made the biggest difference in your life. Tell them!
My Journey in Writing…And Why It Matters To Anyone
The next day I brought my poem to school and something novel happened for my 8 year old self in 1991 where computers were just something you had a class for about 30 minutes per week. My teacher typed up my poem, put a floral border on it, and there it came through her dot-matrix printer. I was so excited. To see MY words on a piece of PRINTED paper! I took pink, blue, purple and green markers and neatly colored the flowers. I rifle through my parent’s basement every time I visit them (which isn’t often these days). Every time I come up empty handed and every time my heart breaks a little more for that lost paper which held my first significant piece of writing in a long journey of growing love for the craft.
The Virtuous Woman Manages Her Life
My life has had so many moving parts lately, I don’t know whether I’m coming or going, awake or asleep. Between my marriage, motherhood, our family business, housekeeping, and many other responsibilities, it’s so easy to feel vanquished. “I’m not enough!” is a phrase I often cry out in defeat at the end of the day. After being overwhelmed by this feeling time and again, I was lead to study Proverbs 31 and found that the thematic difference between the Virtuous Woman (whom I’ve named Aretha) and myself is that she knows she’s enough. Everyone in her life having their place gives her the ability to have everything in a productive order.
The Virtuous Woman Sets Her Priorities
I have succumbed to the classic lie that nearly every woman believes at least once in her existence. I am not enough. Lately I’ve been fighting this lie standing up, laying down, and often with a flailing 1 ½ year old in my arms, for months. Life has been really hard for a while. I’m trying to hold up the physical, emotional, and financial strain of my present life with one hand and trying to care for my son, my husband, and my many other responsibilities. I’m more likely to feel like a failure than a success.
That’s when I started questioning if I’m really putting what energy I have into the right things.
Giving Thanks For the Hard Things
It’s easy to give thanks for friends and family, for jobs and churches and all the other good stuff going on in our lives. We should be thankful for those things. It’s easy to be thankful for those things. As I look back on the past year I have realized that it’s harder to give thanks for the hurt, the misfortunes, the devastation in our lives. Why do bad things happen to good people?
Finding My Sacred Space
Constant life transitions, depression, and apathy have stolen my consistency in my time spent before Jesus’ feet over a few years. I just couldn’t seem to get it together. Then, a series of events and the influence of three women finally helped me get back on that path in a way that only God could have ordained.
Receiving Help at Rock Bottom and Preventing the Fall
While the phrase “hit rock bottom” has become a bit cliche in our culture, I find it a rather accurate description of my experience with depression. I most definitely hit my rock bottom seven years ago. My depression became so severe I pictured myself as a helpless child curled up in fetal position in theContinue reading “Receiving Help at Rock Bottom and Preventing the Fall”
Saying Goodbye with Joy and Tears
Many people are posting memories and notes of encouragement and love on Facebook to a dear friend of mine who is dying of cancer. Each and every one of them touch me deeply. Many make me choke up with a strong combination of joy and tears as I identify with their sentiments. I quickly realized a Facebook post just wouldn’t cut it. Michelle Beckman made too much of an impact on my life to be summed up in a few sentences on a Facebook post. So, instead, I decided to write a letter to her, here, on my blog. I hope this letter is an encouragement to you, even if you never knew Michelle, because of the great truths she showed me along the way.
Doubt: Sin or Path to Righteousness?
Be patient. Wait. Put one foot in front of the other, and be led blindly down the right path. Trust. Have faith. This has been the theme of my life for the past three years. Then God began to show me a glimmer of the sun rising in the horizon, and yet, I find myself doubting. It’s been so long since I’ve had a true glimmer of hope that I wonder, “For me? Really? Are you sure?” because I’m used to trudging on, one foot at a time sinking into the murky soft ground, requiring each step to be calculated lest I fall. A moving vehicle on solid ground helping me get closer to my dreams is so foreign to me, so I look around and wonder, “Is that really for me?”
Lessons on Waiting from King David and George Muller
My life has been in a transitional stage for the past three years…three years which have seemed like 30. I’ve been waiting on God’s bold declaration saying, “Here’s the course I’m taking you through, turn here!” I know I’m going in the right direction, I just have very little idea where it’s leading me. IContinue reading “Lessons on Waiting from King David and George Muller”
Are You Pregnant?
It was one of those pieces of news that’s like a punch in the gut…and it felt wrong to be feeling that way. I opened the envelope from my friend to discover she and her husband were expecting their second child. I cried off and on all day. My husband came home from work, IContinue reading “Are You Pregnant?”
When the Future Seems Unclear
Many people who know him do not know that my husband, Andrew, is a very talented musician. In 2007 he graduated with a degree in music education. Though piano is his primary instrument, he picked up the clarinet in college and considered pursuing a master’s degree in clarinet performance. Then one day he walked intoContinue reading “When the Future Seems Unclear”