Deep breath in, deep breath out. 2021 is almost here.  There’s always something exciting and refreshing about a new year. But with the year we’ve had in 2020, we all long to start new. Since last spring, I’ve seen people joking online, “Can 2020 just be over now?” This strange year has seemed endlessly daunting. […]

Love God, No Matter What Tomorrow is an important day in America. Thousands of folks across the nation will cast their vote for a new President. This election season has brought to light many fears and uncertainties that might have otherwise remained hidden but were likely there all along. I know I’ve had my fair […]

Doubt and Faith I believe doubt—particularly the deepest, most terrible kinds—are not spoken of enough. I understand this. For a long while, I didn’t share my doubts. For those of us in public ministry, it can feel as though we are not allowed to have them. But we are just as fallible as the next […]

A Choice to Trust Five years ago, I stood at the edge of a 30-foot wall with belts and ropes cinched around me as my boyfriend (now husband) coaxed me to step backward. “You can do this, Lara,” he said. “You’re going to be fine. It’s completely safe.” He and a fellow co-worker had convinced […]

Not What I Planned My twenties have not gone according to my plan. So far, my post-grad years have been absent of a fiancé turned husband, a house turned home, and bump-dates turned babies. Though I have the picturesque Goldendoodle, I’ve found myself mourning these common milestones—especially as others receive these blessings on what seems […]