[Editor’s Note: This article is adapted from Kristen’s new book Humble Moms.] The infamous woman in John 4 was unexpected: a Samaritan, and a female nonetheless. She had been in five marriages to five different husbands, all of which had dissolved, leaving wounds and insecurities and, in all likelihood, deeply-entrenched bitterness. Her shame ran deep. […]

 I sighed as I grabbed another chair and added it to the stack, glancing as I did so at the group of teens my age that sat laughing together at the other end of the room. They had taken off their shoes and were lounging on the floor while I bagged trash, folded tables, and […]

Sand snuggled up to my feet, covering them like a wet blanket. The frothy water rushed quickly over them, my feet sinking deeper into the soft ground as the wave receded. The sky burst with brilliant colors. It looked as if someone splattered pink and purple watercolors onto the clouds. Being outside of the everyday […]

“So, When Are You Going to Have Kids?” Someone asked me about kids at my wedding reception. Let that sink in. I’ve been asked a variation of this question at least once a month for the past eight years. I wish I was exaggerating, but if you’ve been married any length of time and find […]

In the first few years I played softball, I’d often drop a pop-fly or miss a simple grounder. Although I made countless mistakes, they didn’t change my identity. I was a softball player. I wore the uniform, I trained, I played, and I improved. Over time, my muscles strengthened in technique and my mind strategized […]