Common-sense grace for the try-hard girl
Would it be worth it? Would the 528 steps up to the dome live up to the promise of an incredible view? Ryan and I bent down for the low overhang and trekked up the 300-year old narrow steps to the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral. During World War II, this cross-shaped church was a […]
Our past is a tricky thing: while it shapes us, it cannot fully define us. Our past may be full of beautiful memories as well as sins that sicken us. I do not presume to be God, but His Word is clear on shame, guilt, freedom, life, and His never-running-out love for us. This is […]
Anyone who has heard a sermon, attended a church retreat, or gone to Wednesday-night youth group has heard that we should cast our cares on Jesus. And yet, Americans were found to be the most anxious people in a recent study of fourteen countries with many of us suffering from an anxiety disorder in our […]
The phrase “self-compassion” sounds so, so, so… self-indulgent. My grandparents survived the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression, so genetically, I’m predisposed to hard work and productivity. My Protestant work ethic, which emphasizes industriousness and discipline, has me believing that self-compassion is a code word for laziness and navel-gazing. Blech. But here’s the deal: compassion […]
Every great artist has a preferred medium. Vincent Van Gogh used oil paint. Michelangelo worked in marble. As for God, I’m learning that His medium of choice is wait. Waiting seems to be the way He works. We are even called to wait on our dreams. As we wait, let’s remember the truth. God doesn’t […]
If you were sick, I’d bring you soup, but if I was sick, I wouldn’t ask you for anything. If your husband is traveling and you have the kids to yourself, I’d tell you I understand how hard it is and encourage you, but if I were in the same situation, I’d tell myself to […]
My recent Facebook poll showed that over 60% of women feel their life is either “Pretty busy” or “Moving at warp speed.” Others described their lives as a “tornado” and “unhinged.” The reason for the overwhelm was attributed to doing too much for too many with too little for too long. Friends, according to my […]
If we’re having coffee together and you share a struggle or a hurt, here’s my MO: listen, nod my head, and then give you 12 ideas to solve your “problem.” Then I’d text you three different podcast episodes to listen to. We’d finish our lattes, and I’d walk away from our conversation all proud of […]
Learning how to wait in an instant-gratification culture can be tricky. I have a hard time waiting for my microwave popcorn to pop let alone waiting for a put-on-pause-passion to come to life. Waiting on a God-planted dream that isn’t making forward progress is hard. What is God doing while I’m waiting? Waiting is in the heart […]
Another Achiever is Going Rogue! Here’s the story of author Katie Orr, who is the creator of the five FOCUSed15 Bible study method books. Here’s what I love about Katie: she’s passionate about equipping busy women to experience God daily. She’s a mom of three, wife of pastor-husband Chris, teacher, speaker, podcaster and writer for […]
