I am a quiet girl who has always desired a quiet life. I love certainty and stability. I love life free from drama, conflict, and chaos. The rules used to be simple: Don’t mess with me, and I won’t mess with you. However, being reborn into God’s family changes all of...

I'm a mom of three boys. In the little years, it seemed that no matter how often I reminded them to be gentle and compassionate, they always found a way to remind me that God made them ALL boy. In their world, sticks became swords. Pan lids became shields. And no one...

I have the blessing of raising three daughters. If I had a dollar for every time someone said something to me about having three girls and commenting "Oh, are you going to try for that boy?" when my girls were toddlers, I'd be rich. Or, more recently, it's more "Oh...

"And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossians 3:17 It's no secret that I love a good story. I love to read them, and I love to write them. Nothing captivates me more...

I spent many, many mornings in my seat at church. I used to sit and fidget and wiggle. Some Sundays I was so tired from getting everyone up, fed, dressed, and out of the house that I would let my heavy eyelids fall and even close all the way. Just for a minute. Then,...

It was 1987. My mom had recently married my stepdad, and our new family needed a new beginning. Like those who had headed out west decades before us, we too were wanting a fresh start. So from the farmlands of Indiana to the hills of Northern California, we drove. I...

The plight of the underdog is easily found in books, movies, and our everyday lives. Maybe you have felt like the underdog before or you have known someone else who feels worn out, overpowered, tired, small, useless, or alone. Then life brings you a pivotal moment to...

Isn’t it amazing how quickly our thoughts can drift to worry, stress, and fear in various aspects of our lives? We might be fine one moment and then, BAM!, seemingly out of nowhere our thoughts are catapulted to the land of “what ifs.” Fear, worry, and anxiety are...

I am a champion worrier. From childhood on I was always thinking, “what if . . .” But by God’s grace, I learned how to overcome much of it. The temptation to be fearful and live in constant worry will be a battle that all of us will be fighting until Christ returns,...

"Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us! For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor...

I am a recovering control addict.  Perhaps, this is an area you have struggled in as well.  A desire for control can often be a source of fear and anxiety in our lives.  We obsess over our education, career, family, fitness, and finances, and more. If our proposed...

I sat in the sanctuary trembling. The man standing at the pulpit reading the Word was not my pastor. My pastor had fallen into sin, and now all around me people wept. As a church family, we collectively lifted our broken hearts to our holy God and held fast to His...

Have you ever read the book The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis? If not, then you need to. It's one of my favorites. In a fictional storytelling fashion, C. S. Lewis brings to light the dark spiritual warfare each of us encounters on a daily bases through his...

For those of us who have been in the church a long time, unpacking today’s verses can feel like a taboo topic. We believe. We are saved. We know the Sunday School answers. But, if we’re honest, we still have moments, maybe weeks, even seasons, of doubt and disbelief....

From a young age, I have struggled with the fear of not being in control. I think the seed of this fear was planted in my heart when my parents divorced. Seeing what my mom went through as a single woman created in me a desire to want to control my life so I would...

As we waited for her brother to finish swim practice, my girl sat quietly as she listened to Billy Graham’s distinct voice and powerful words through old videos. The announcement of his death had flooded national news feeds and radio stations earlier that day, and she...

In the book of Jeremiah, we read about how the people of God had been captured by King Nebuchadnezzar and taken into captivity in Babylon. In their eyes, their future looked bleak and scary. They had no idea if they would ever get to go back home or what would happen...

Can you imagine life without fear or worry? I can’t. It is so much a part of our lives that imagining a life without the smallest fear, worry, or anxiety feels impossible. Adam and Eve were the only ones who were able to experience this kind of life — that is until...