10 Verses of Hope for Hard Times

We've started our fourth week of social distancing, stay-at-home-ing and while parts of all this are starting to feel normal, there are parts that are getting harder. Let's just be honest — this is hard. And none of us was really prepared for how hard it would be. If you're like me, some days you are feeling pretty helpless and maybe even have moments when you feel a little hopeless. It's okay. Here's what I'm finding, even when I don't FEEL hope, I can KNOW hope. Because hope isn't a ... [Read More]

What Happens Next: One Mom’s Response to the Brock Turner Verdict

"You don’t know me, but you’ve been inside me, and that’s why we’re here today." With paragraph after paragraph detailing the unthinkable facts and unimaginable feelings of a young woman, the victim in the Brock Turner sexual assault case spoke with poignancy and strength to the man who violated her. Her words have resonated in the hearts of countless people outraged by the despicable verdict in this horrific case. Her experience has become a graphic illustration of the rape culture in which we ... [Read More]

In Him: 10 Truths from Colossians

In Christ ... We have redemption.  He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14 All things were created. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. Colossians 1:16 Everything holds together. And he is before all things, ... [Read More]

15 Ways to Pray for Your Church

I love Easter Sunday. Everything about it ... from the little girls with hairbows bigger than their heads to the teary eyes throughout our sanctuary as we sing of the resurrected Christ. I love the newness Easter brings, the hope and the life we experience in Christ. Last night our church was blessed by the music of the SOZO children's choir from Uganda. {Here is a live video from our Sunday morning service.} Y'all, my heart could have burst as these beautiful children sang of the love and ... [Read More]

{Book Review} Planted with Hope by Tricia Goyer and Sherry Gore

Have you ever felt like the place you are isn't the place you're supposed to be? I'd imagine at some point we all have. Tricia Goyer and Sherry Gore have written a lovely story that speaks to those times when we're wrestling with all the feelings that come with not fitting in. Planted with Hope by Tricia Goyer and Sherry Gore Planted with Hope is the second book in The Pinecraft Pie Shop series and as I read it, I found myself connecting with Hope, the main character. Since her family's ... [Read More]

Untouched by Trouble

The fear of the Lord leads to life. Then one rests content, untouched by trouble. Proverbs 19:23 Proverbs 19:23 is the memory verse that goes along with this month's Prayers for Girls calendar. I have it written on an index card propped up on my desk where I have my quiet time and study to teach and even occasionally blog. That word, content, it gets me every time. This is my great battle: to be satisfied with what the Lord has given me. More, different, other — my heart and mind drift that ... [Read More]