It was July of 2018. It was the middle of the night and I was lying in bed in a farmhouse in the Austrian Alps when God gave me the most vivid dream. He then woke me and spoke to me in a way I had never experienced, with more specific words than He has…
I am a crier—and I’m not talking a cute crier…. I am an ugly crier—a snotty, sniffly, can’t talk crier. I am not the “cries at weddings and touching movies” kind of crier. I am a “cries at the most inappropriate and inconvenient times” kind of crier. It is something I have wrestled with my…
On retreat recently I started digging into a great book by Andy Crouch called Strong to Weak. In it, he speaks about the concept of “human flourishing” which is basically a synonym for what I refer to as soaring; being “fully alive.” And the summary of his findings and the thesis of the book is…
We have no problem understanding that kids need to have fun and so we do everything we can to foster that in them. We buy them great toys and take them on great adventures. We enroll them in clubs and get them on teams. We encourage their imagination and give them hours to just go…
The other day in my blogging group, a member shared a personal story about the toxic relationship she shares with her father and stepmother. According to her, her father has been emotionally, mentally and physically abusive her entire life. Despite this abuse, she moved in next door to him to take care of him and…
For years I have wanted to write a book. I started my first book after I finished seminary 13 years ago. I currently have 3 books, at least, that I have started but haven’t finished. Why? It wasn’t because life got in the way, or because I got bored and have this terrible habit of…
I have always loved elephants. The beauty. The power. The uniqueness. But my love for elephants grew even more when I learned more about their social habits. Here are some fun facts about the social and emotional nature of elephants: They are unique among wild animals in that they form strong social bonds of companionship,…
When I was a kid, I hated reading. I really did. It was to the point that my parents had to bribe me with money to finish a book; that my mom would let me read trashy romance novels as a teenager just so I would read something! I was always much happier playing with…
One of my favorite places in the world is a beautiful lake in North Georgia called Lake Rabun. My sister-in-law has a house there and we have had the utter joy of spending a week there almost every summer. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. And my happiest place…
Many years ago, my husband and I were in Germany visiting my sister. One day, after admiring various animals at the Berlin Zoo, we found ourselves at the polar bear habitat. There were two or maybe three bears, but one clearly stood out. He was standing on a ledge looking out at us. While the…
