How it began When I was about five years old, I remember sitting on the bathroom floor idly thumbing through an old magazine and happened to see a tiny advertisement for a book about sex. The cover had a naked man and woman positioned just so you didn’t see the “private parts,” but still enough […]

the gossips There was a magnet that hung on our fridge for many of my childhood and teenage years—a Norman Rockwell painting called “The Gossips.” The painting is a progressive series of conversations beginning in the top corner with two women. The first lady is pointing over her shoulder, sharing some juicy tidbit about someone […]

fear and food After the first time I had the flu, the thought of vomiting gave me a visceral reaction. I would collapse into panic attacks—crying, screaming, sweating, shaking—anytime my stomach began to turn. This fear became so strong I struggled to eat or leave the house. I hated this fear and what it did […]

transition and conflict I remember the overwhelming confliction of being renewed, yet not knowing what to do with that truth. I remember feeling the conviction of who I was now—a child of God—but not sure what that meant. I had been saved by God’s grace alone, but I was alone, without community. I pushed through […]

the cycle of seclusion It’s been a long day. You are exhausted as you pull into your garage and close the door behind you, grateful for a neighborhood that values seclusion as much as you do. Life regularly looks like closed doors and quiet evenings. On Sunday your pastor might mention hospitality. You cringe a […]