Make way for sweet summertime! The days are warm, the nights are short, and the sprinklers are running at full blast. We know your summers are busy and full, so to help keep your heart encouraged and eyes lifted up, your (in)courage staff would love to share with you their favorite DaySpring products. Our hearts glow with the light of a thousand ...
The kids lie in bed as I stand in the middle of the room, arms crossed, regurgitating the usual bedtime prayer. I pay God lip service while my heart is like coal, dead and dark, thanking Him though the words come out strained through clenched teeth. I'm desperate and angry for help, feeling entitled to better days, for the seas to part so I can ...
I had a Martha Stewart vision of what hospitality would look like when I first wanted to open up my home to others. I thought, It’ll be all perfectly roasted chicken, china glistening on the table, candles flickering in the living room. Now, when a knock comes to the door, I’m mostly just happy if the toilet is decently clean. I stepped into ...
I watched his shoulders as he walked up the mountain through the fog, hoping his posture would tell me how he was feeling. Raindrops trickled down his suit coat, and I thought to myself, I will never forget watching my son climb this muddy mountain to wait for his bride. Josh and Brandi had spent weeks looking for the perfect setting for an ...
It was Christmas. Lights were sparkling. Stores were bright. And there was my family, rushing downtown to get a good look. That’s how we managed. Life gave hurts and hard knocks. Yet if something was gorgeous to see, we took a gold minute to look past the problem and gaze at the pretty. Freezing weather? It didn’t matter. “Wear your big ...
My oldest is ten years old, officially a "tween," as she's informed me. I suppose this means a lot of things, but one of the most fun is that as her mom, I have a legitimate reason to listen to pop music. Unironically. Because that's what she likes, so that's what we listen to, along with showtunes and worship songs, country music and what has ...
Everything seemed so bright. We had a wonderful life, complete with happy kids, good salaries, and a hopeful future. But one crisis after another happened, and that life faded away, leaving behind a pile of debt, unemployment, arguments, and so much anxiety. What happened to my life, God? Did we do something wrong? Tell me what kind of ...
The sidewalk around the fancy hotel bends and curves like a ribbon, and I cover every inch of it in search of something. This hotel offers a picturesque view, and I like to take it in while writing or simply walking around the grounds. But what I'd like to take in are stairs I've seen there before, uniquely-designed stairs adorned with ...
People told me there would be all-nighters. I was informed that when my milk came in, my breasts would feel like bags filled with rocks. I knew I would bleed for days after giving birth and my belly would be like jelly for, well, forever. Everyone told us to eat out as much as possible, go on a babymoon, go to the movies — all of which we did. I ...
My marriage was dying. It was like a slow, silent kind of dying at first, and then I nearly finished it off with what I did. I refer to that time as “the dark years.” We were out of hope, hurting and broken, living in the same house and unsure of what the future looked like. I had once heard a radio DJ, who I’m sure got their information from ...
