Every year, as store aisles overflow with glittering ornaments and fragrant pine garlands, I prayerfully ask God, “How can I give Jesus to my family this Christmas?” Last year, I felt challenged to be more intentional about celebrating each of my family members—regardless of where they were spiritually—just as intentionally as I share my faith. […]
Looking back over three decades of diapers, playdates, carpools, music lessons, and sports events, I realize that motherhood is a lot of ordinary days interrupted by unparalleled joys and sprinkled with unwanted sorrows. Some of those sorrows run deep. If you have a child who, by words or deeds, refuses to acknowledge Jesus as Savior […]
Could I come over this afternoon to talk with you? The mid-morning text from a grieving younger woman in my church surprised me. I looked up from my phone to survey my kitchen. Crumbs and dishes from lunch still cluttered the table. My laptop sat open on the counter, a constant ping reminding me of […]
It’s mid-afternoon and I have almost nothing to show for my day. Instead of crossing tasks off my list, I’ve spent hours replaying a conversation I had yesterday with a friend from church. I’ve been repeating her words and rehearsing what I could have said that would have made the conversation more fruitful. But I […]
There was a strange rule in my graduate counseling program: don’t pass the tissues. It’s not surprising, but a lot of crying happens in counseling programs. I remember the first time one of my professors gestured to a fresh box of Kleenex in the center of the room and instructed us not to touch it—unless […]
Every spring, I put my head down and speed walk past the card aisles announcing Mother’s Day. The signs’ prodding inquiries ask whether or not I’ve bought a gift for my mom. Their reminders rip scabs off wounds I’ve tried to heal. Sometimes I gather my courage and head into the aisle to play with […]
[Author’s Note: This article is specifically meant for women who know that their friend struggles with disordered eating, meaning this friend has trusted you enough to share this part of her story with you. If you have a friend who you suspect struggles with disordered eating but she has not explicitly disclosed this to you, […]
Jodie felt like walking out of the church building and never going back. Her life was pretty tough, and she expected church to be a place of refuge, not a battleground. When she got through the door, though, there wasn’t much peace. First, someone tried to pressure her into signing up for a new meeting, […]
My shoulders stiffened as the preacher began a sermon on love covering some of the most famous verses in the Bible. I sat among friends. No one knew I cried myself to sleep the night before over a Facebook thread between the boy I liked and another girl. Instead they saw my pursed lips and […]
[Editor’s Note: This excerpt is adapted from Humility by Gavin Ortlund, ©2023. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.] Some years ago, I preached a sermon on envy. I had never really thought in depth about envy before, so it was fascinating to study this particular vice. It was also terrifying. […]
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