Faith

After I was slapped with the diagnosis of Alopecia Areata (an autoimmune disorder that can cause almost total hair loss), I was left spinning and whirling in the darkness of my mind. It felt like I was in one of those movies, when the main character gets devastating news, and all of the sudden it’s like they’re under water. Everything becomes blurry; everything is in slow motion. After five days of that, I knew I needed help. I pulled a journal off of my bookshelf and I began to write… “It’s only 10am and I’ve already cried three times. My mom and dad are being so sweet and supportive, but they don’t understand how I feel. They tell me that I’ll always

When hard times hit, women run headlong to the two places that provide strength: our family and our faith. These pillars may be central to our daily life, but it is during these seasons that they become even more significant. This was true of Hillary Scott, a member of the multiplatinum recording group, Lady Antebellum. It was a sudden miscarriage of her second pregnancy in the fall of 2015 that led Hillary to write “Thy Will” a song that offers a universal message of hope. Looking for peace when she felt none, she turned to her faith as well as her musical family: father Lang, mother Linda, sister Rylee, and her husband Chris. This was the beginning of what became so much more

There are many things in this world that freak me out: tornadoes, spiders, snakes, tsunamis, men who wear capri pants, ISIS, and yes, the gremlins under my bed. These are all valid reasons to be fearful. Yet, I’m also afraid of things that are less tangible—like chasing my dreams. Why am I so afraid of pursuing my passions? Here are just a few reasons: I am afraid of being rejected. I am afraid of being ignored. I am afraid of living a life that doesn’t matter. I am afraid that I am not doing it right. I am afraid that there are already too many people doing what I want to do, and they are doing it much better. I am afraid that

From the time we were little girls, we have had to defend ourselves from something. The whispered lies of self-seeking childhood playmates. The gossip of our neighbors, or women at church … even friends. A coworker who misconstrued a comment to the boss, or a boss who didn’t have the time, patience or grace to hear our side of the story. Our boyfriends and husbands during literally every argument we’ve ever had with them. Defending ourselves is exhausting. And complex, a reaction to emotion that is stirred by perceived injustice and fueled by past wounds and a motive of self-justification, perhaps even self-preservation. That’s why we love the overwhelming beauty in the story of the woman with the alabaster jar. The disciple

I am an extremely fortunate mother to have two grown daughters whom I love dearly and go figure, they love me too. What’s even more amazing is that in this tenuous-relationship world in which we live, we like each other as well. They are both equally unique, incredibly strong, and on many days have provided me with a wealth of entertainment. But even more importantly, they are reminders of what’s important in life. My younger daughter has always had a river of emotion that runs deep. Her optimistic and lighthearted temperament at times eclipses the passion she holds deep in her heart. It’s not always obvious, but when it surfaces it comes out like a flood. On her seventh birthday I discovered she

Our granddaughter, Charleston, flings her right hand in the air these days like Queen Elizabeth at a polo match and pronounces: “I hate Pop-Tarts. I hate Pop-Tarts.” I feel you, Charlie girl. And it’s okay, because Pop-Tarts aren’t good for you anyway. But the incident reminded me that there’s a word (not food) that I hate these days, and I hate it like a little girl all dressed up in a sequined yard sale gown, fluttering her fingers, tiara bobbing on her fluffy blonde head, telling the world what she doesn’t like. It’s no one’s fault, but I loathe the word “intentional.” Sometimes it’s this idea that every single step of my life, every conversation, every appointment, every book I read, every

I don’t know if you realize it, but the WWW in front of every web address stands for World Wide Web. Of course you do, but have you ever thought about the fact that it really is a web? Like the one woven by some unseen creature deviously setting a snare to catch an unsuspecting prey? I recently watched as a small lizard did his best to free himself from the threads created by a minuscule spider that was holding him hostage. Even though this creature was 1,000% larger than his captor, it seemed to be an impossible task (I did free him; I couldn’t continue to watch the struggle). This is particularly true in the world of social media. Not sure about you,

Bored? Yeah I get it! Am I the only one who has ever been bored with life? Sometimes I wonder, is there a chance that boredom stems from misplaced fear? I’m not exactly an adrenaline junkie, but lately I have the hankering to get brave. Yes, me … the perpetual nail-biter, weather radio analyst, locksmith with a Ph.D. in Google. Yes, this lady wants to get her brave on. Now, I don’t even know what “brave” looks like because I have been held in the arms of blessed safety since infancy. There were the baby gates, kid leashes, pillows on the edge of the fireplace, electrical covers on all outlets, locks on cabinets, bicycle helmets and knee pads, curfews, “don’t climb any higher

Women who desire to live their lives demonstrating unshakable faith are frequently found throwing around the anti-anxiety verses: “Be anxious for nothing… I can do all things through Christ… I will never leave you or forsake you…” (Philippians 4:6; Philippians 4:13; Hebrews 13:5). These appear as a quick fix for the swirling emotions that often decry the freedom we are told we find when we enter a relationship with Christ. As wonderful as those verses are, they aren’t a miraculous cure to our many anxious thoughts, or the paralyzing feelings that surround us. This often leads to defeat and discouragement. Surely we must not have enough faith or are in some way an inferior Christian. Even if we conquer one layer of anxiety, embracing

Of all the qualities the Lord shows us, His human children, the one that is most lost in our society today is the art of practicing patience. Toward each other. Toward God. Even toward ourselves. We are so consumed with the hustle-and-bustle nature of our modern society that patience seems to have been virtually eliminated from our repertoire of characteristics. My friends, this could possibly be one of the most devastating losses we have faced on a personal and societal level. I recently saw a post from a dear friend of mine who lives in the South where I grew up. She mentioned how infuriating it was how “slow” everything moved in the South, that she wished people would just hurry up! While