Encouragement · Faith · Hope

The Sadness: Guest Post by Courtney

Meet Courtney. She’s a fellow For the Love book launch team member and new friend. You can see more of the work she’s doing at https://courtneythrash.wordpress.com/. Enjoy her post! About nine months ago, I began taking medication for anxiety and depression.  That’s scary to say.  If I squint, I can almost see the stereotypes and…… Continue reading The Sadness: Guest Post by Courtney

Christian Living · Hope

Following God to Myself

Have you ever encountered a younger version of yourself? When this younger version speaks you understand without knowing all the details because it is *somehow* strangely familiar… LaSondra didn’t want to be engaged in conversation with me, but I was unrelenting. Something about her Protected. Reserved. Suspicious. disposition was oddly similar to a younger version of me.…… Continue reading Following God to Myself

Christian Living · Faith · Hope

When Silence is Deafening and Hope Wanes

Today is a two cup day. That second cup is steeping now. The house is unusually quiet, worship music fills the air, a candle flickers before me, and I’m kind of undone. We have a difficult family situation weighing on me. My heart is tender and my mind is divided. I’ve attempted to clean my…… Continue reading When Silence is Deafening and Hope Wanes

Community · Faith · Grace

For the Love {of Answered Prayers}

We were in unfamiliar territory. I guess that’s what made my request bold {or stupid}. I asked, nonetheless. Lord, would you let someone affirm me today? Yes, I know I’m in Orlando {1,000 miles from home} and it’s likely I won’t know a single soul at Disney, but please? {Then I crossed my arms and…… Continue reading For the Love {of Answered Prayers}

Belief · Faith

In Persistent Pursuit

The question itself wasn’t bad. But, the afternoon interrogation-which included a single question {presented in varying ways} repeated over and over-was exhausting.  He must have asked me 100 times about the old cell phone collection in our hutch. He wanted one of them for his own personal use. I attempted to explain {each time} that there was…… Continue reading In Persistent Pursuit

Belief · Hope · Love

Generous Love: Disrupting a “Me” Centered Theology

Post-it Notes protrude from most of my books and notebooks {marking favorite quotes and things I want to return to again}. I place them for the sake of easy {future} retrieval–but–without a doubt, they eventually fall off. Have you noticed that? They transfer to the bottom of shoes, the elbows of sweaters, or to the dreaded “black-hole”…… Continue reading Generous Love: Disrupting a “Me” Centered Theology

Belief · Faith · Hope

A Call to Action

This is an open confession: I often wrestle with the desire to see my hopes and dreams fulfilled according to my timeline. I get the lack of trust in that confession. Really. But it’s true. I have a lack of patience that rises up when things don’t go according to my plan. This impatience quickly turns into discouragement.…… Continue reading A Call to Action

Encouragement · Faith · Hope

Play Your Note

Inadequacies, mistakes, failures and fears regularly find their way into my thoughts. Not measuring up—not being enough—have been reoccurring thoughts for as long as I can remember. They are so familiar they can creep in and linger undetected. In elementary school I distinctly remember wanting to read, write and draw like Grace Su. She could do…… Continue reading Play Your Note

Faith · Hope

Clean Out the Wound

“I have good news and bad news.” As I drove the stretch of road, I struggled to make sense of his words…the diagnosis, suggested course of treatment, and steps of immediate action. Osteo~what? I hung up the phone and attempted to sort out the information the doctor shared—understanding would have to come later. Then it hit…… Continue reading Clean Out the Wound

Encouragement · Hope

A Tale of Two Identities

Immature. Cranky. Obsessive. Silly. I’ve been assigned these labels over the course of my years, and I can own them all. In fact, I may even be comfortable with them. I mean, isn’t it just easier to be the person you’ve always been; to walk in the path already cleared and worn – to embrace an identity others expect? I…… Continue reading A Tale of Two Identities