“Muscle relaxers, Tylenol, and physical therapy,” the neurologist said. At 32, I was faced with two options: living in pain every day or living on medication every day. I didn’t like either option, to be honest. And to be even more honest, I don’t like that my body seems to only fall apart.  Between chronic […]

Anger at Home I punched our dinner once. Yep, full fist right into the fish fillet before me. The details flee my mind of why on earth I felt such burning rage at that moment in our home. All I know is, in my foolishness, I can destroy a whole lot more than our dinner. […]

Jesus and My Past Sometimes my past haunts me. I’ve been a believer for nearly ten years and barely recognize the woman I was before Jesus plucked me out of darkness and gave me a new heart. Yet, in the quiet hours of the night when sleep is nowhere to be found, I see her. […]

An Unusual Birthday Today I turn 31, and today I should be delivering our third baby. It’s a strange feeling to celebrate life and mourn death on the same day. I remember it like it was yesterday. We’d gone to church that morning, and as I sat in the back, I felt a bit “off” […]

A Change of Heart I discovered the intriguing world of inductive Bible study about six years ago. Following the technique I learned from my pastor, I began soaking up the word of God like a sponge. Excitement sparked like lightning inside my brain as I began connecting dots across Scripture. I started to really know […]

Most buildings in America aren’t built to last forever—a fire, hurricane, tornado, or other natural disaster could easily destroy them. So on a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I was struck by the permanence of the buildings. All the essential government buildings, the national monuments, the White House, and even most of the museums are […]

My brand-new brown and pink Bible sat on my bed in front of me. I flipped through the various books of the Bible, feeling a touch overwhelmed. As a new believer who hadn’t grown up going to Sunday school every week, I knew I wanted to study the Bible and seek God in his Word. […]

On a warm summer morning, I set up a table and two chairs in our backyard. While the baby naps, my oldest son and I sit next to zinnias and bees and dip our brushes in water and paint. I watch from across the table as he purses his lips in concentration, exploring the mix […]

Just off the grassy trail, I sat in an opening between tall weeds and white wildflowers. With my Bible on my lap, I gazed at the still water before me. Ants crawled across my legs while a biting fly swarmed my head, a picture of the thoughts harassing my mind. After just one sinful thought—a […]

Black trash bags laid piled in the driveway—all my belongings, in a heap on the ground. I fought back tears as I walked inside. My unwanted presence buzzed over my head like a housefly. By sixteen, I had been tossed about from home to home, this being one of seven. No one seemed to want […]