Latest on the Blog
How Letting Go of Things Helps us Let Go of Toxic Relationships
Recently I thought about how easy it has become for me to discard things that are no longer serving us or our home. I apply this William Morris' quote quite liberally: 'Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be beautiful or believe to be useful' Honestly,...
Happy Anniversary to us!
Today my husband Patrick and I celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary! (Our marriage is as old as Jesus was!) Happy Anniversary to us! We met in Tacoma, WA at a little church that had a heart for missions. I had returned from a one-person (me) mission trip for six...
We are not meant to understand evil
I did something incredibly NON-MARY this last week. I quit something. As I mentioned, I was doing the NANOWRIMO challenge, writing a novel in the month of November. Because I am a seat of the pants writer, I wasn't sure where the story was heading. But when I wrote...
Vulnerability? It’s a superpower
I shared with someone an instagram post that got a lot of traction (I'll paste it below), and they said, "I would never be that open online." I know it's a sacrifice, and I certainly don't navigate it easily, but I replied, "It's so people don't feel alone." For me,...
Need a new worship playlist?
I'm walking through a season in my relationship with God and his church to the point that overused worship songs fall flat to me. For whatever reason, I can't seem to participate in them, and so many of the internal messages of modern worship songs are about me-me-me....
The Problem of Exceptional Thinking
"I'll be the exception to the rule." This is the kind of thinking that has stolen my joy. For years. Some examples: "Planting a church in France is hard. It's known as the missionary graveyard." Surely not! (But oh it was, and we were not the exception to the rule....
Want a restory?
We all want to live better stories, don’t we? I know I do. Part of discerning your new story is looking back on your past and figuring out patterns that were destructive and led you down frustrating paths. And it’s also helpful to celebrate the wins too. Let’s just...
What to do if you’re misunderstood
This article has its roots in one of my latest books, The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible. ... A few years ago, I walked through a difficult misunderstanding with a loved one. No matter what I did, I could not convince them of my innocence, nor did any sort of...
Welcome to the New Look!
I've been quietly working behind the scenes designing and re-doing this site. I'm so thankful for how it turned out. Huge hugs to Stormhill media for assisting me. They made the transition from idea to live quite smooth. In this place, I want you to know you're seen,...
We Named Each Other
Last night my grandfather breathed his last. I was not able to hold his gnarled hand, could not sing songs of kindness over him. I prayed. Oh, I prayed. But I grieved from many states away. I gave him the name Bopo, which then became his grandfather name--all the...
Is Your Burnout Compensation for a Parent’s Lack of Love?
One of my favorite authors is Mark Buchanan. In a recent blog post, he shared about the life of Eustace Conway (a review of the book The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert.) Conway lived an amazing life, and he produced and accomplished much. But this quote...
Confession: I suffer from empathy fatigue
Do you? Honestly answer these ten questions. Have you heard so many stories of pain that it's difficult to hear one more?Do you feel like you've reached your emotional pain threshold?Have you experienced toxic systems (difficult boss, a confusing legal system,...