Just write. Sometimes those are the words that I have to begin with. So here it goes… The other day I felt led to respond to a Facebook group discussion about whether or not “beliefs” belong in a medical setting. The author of the discussion was simply asking for recommendations for a Christian therapist for her child, but the post had taken another turn, as they so often do. A woman representing herself as a medical provider responded to this mother’s request with the following: “Religion does not make a practitioner more competent… I’m a medical provider and it would make me very uncomfortable to discuss my beliefs with a…

Shame thrives in the dark corners. It isolates. It tells us that we do not belong at the table, that we are not worthy. Shame tells us that if we allow people to get too close, they will see who we really are; that all of our flaws, our mistakes, our deep and painful “ugly” will be exposed and in that moment… when we are seen for the person that we truly are… rejection will inevitably follow. Pain will inevitably follow. More shame piled upon shame. Shame warns us to stay hidden. Stay behind the veil. Stay behind the wall. Stay alone. And my friend, if you feel these words…

Yesterday on our Facebook page, I invited you to share a piece of your story with us and tell us what God’s been doing in your life lately. Today, I wanted to share a small piece of mine in hopes that it will bring your heart some encouragement if you’re sitting in the wait… You see, after traveling through a very difficult season, God began to gently press on my heart to share my story. And as you’ll gather from this excerpt, I was immediately filled with reluctance and doubt. But following through on His nudge, His gentle press, has blessed me more than I could have ever imagined. He…

Picture it… Talking about Jesus in the mayonnaise aisle at the grocery store as others come and go around you… If we’re being honest, what feelings does it stir up in your heart? Discomfort? Anxiety? Fear? Not too long ago, I would find myself awkwardly uncomfortable – to the point of shutting down – if any conversation, public or private, ventured into the topics of God, Jesus, or the Bible, but especially in group or public settings. I could give you a whole list of reasons why, but it primarily came down to two (well one, really): Fear and Insecurity.  I feared either total rejection (even by strangers) or that…

“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5 NLT) But God, what if it doesn’t? What if the morning comes and I’m still curled up in the fetal position, overwhelmed with depression, anxiety, and confusion? What if I’m angry… so angry… because it’s all just so unfair. It’s unfair, God. I’ve done everything I know to do and these unrelenting waves are beating the life out of me! One after another after another. I come up for air and just as I think maybe there’s a reprieve in this storm, I’m thrown under the water again, gasping for my next breath and struggling to…

Friends, if I may be a little vulnerable with you today… 2020 was a year that brought me to my knees, quite literally. It was hard… so very hard. There were times that I wasn’t sure how to breathe, much less how to put one foot in front of the other. And by the start of 2021, I had only one prayer on my lips; one resolution that I could even wholeheartedly commit to chasing. Simply put, More Jesus. Over the course of the year that followed, I dedicated myself to speaking life into His promises, over and over, even when I could not see a way through the emotional…