“Pain is a great motivator.” She spoke the words so matter-of-factly—as if part of her daily routine. And yet in that moment my world stopped spinning as I absorbed the unintended meaning of her words. Pain is a great motivator. I looked around the open gym area of the physical therapy office. I was there […]
Jesus
To the stressed-out Christmas mama…
Dear Stressed-out Christmas mama, Oh precious maker of Christmas magic; you who thoughtfully chose gifts, decorate cookies, hang garland, applaud at Christmas pageants, hang out at the grocery store more than your own kitchen, and fearfully watch your checking balance dwindle; I promise you that what you’ve done is enough. It is enough. You can […]
When darkness makes it hard to see…
As a small congregation stood to sing your praise one clear November morning, Lord, surely you were there. As little ones snuggled in their mother’s laps while the pastor offered a prayer, Lord, surely you were there. As a husband leaned against the pew to ask his wife what she was planning for their lunch, […]
Conviction versus condemnation (and how to tell the difference)
I’m awful. I’m a lousy sinner. I deserve what is happening to me right now because of what I’ve done….. Does any of that sound familiar? Do you ever struggle with being able to identify God’s voice over the enemy’s lies—or even over that of your own thoughts and self-condemnations? Recently, God has been convicting […]
When Stolen Jesus steals your heart
She had me at vomit. I was recovering from a mild wretched case of the stomach bug when I first stumbled across Jami Amerine’s blog, specifically her post about the need to quarantine oneself when one becomes contaminated by the stomach plague. She spoke truth. Causing me to laugh so hard that my own stomach plague made […]