I know the feeling of walking into a room and your presence going unnoticed. I know what it’s like to have friends walk away, siblings drift apart, and job promotions pass you by. I’ve been trapped in the torturous cycle of beauty comparison and house envy. So often, I feel like I am on the outside. No matter what I do or how much I try, I cannot ...
I remember when we first got the diagnosis three years ago. The school my fourth-grade son attended said he wasn’t trying hard enough. Suspecting dyslexia, I took him to a testing facility that specialized in diagnosing learning disabilities. Many hours of testing and $1,400 later, we had a diagnosis I wasn’t prepared for. No, he didn’t have ...
My head had pulsed for thirteen days straight. And it wasn’t just a regular headache like the ones I was used to. It was a thirteen-day migraine, and nothing seemed to be working. On day one, two, and three, I tried over-the-counter painkillers. On day four, I went to my family doctor. He prescribed me heavy migraine medication and sent me ...
I'd answered my phone joking. “Did you lock yourself in the chicken coop again?” It wouldn’t be the first time she’d gone out in the morning to feed the chickens and collect eggs to find the latch had locked her in. “I fell, I’m hurt . . . I think I broke my back.” Strangled and gasping for breath, I’d never heard my mom sound like that. I ...
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (HCSB) Encouraging one another doesn't sound so hard. A fist bump here, an "atta girl" there. A quick text to say "Hang in there, you can do this!" A hug when you see a friend in person. Encouraging one another sounds pretty easy . . . until you realize it's not. What ...
We gather at this virtual table because of you — you, beloved friend and cherished daughter of the King. Your life is significant. Your story matters. We go first in sharing our stories because that's the best way we know how to invite you into community and cheer you on in the good, hard, painful, joyful, gritty work of womanhood. We're so ...
She scurried over to the rice cooker and opened it. Using a rice paddle to scoop out a few grains of day-old rice with her right hand, she then picked them off of the paddle with her left, squishing them together between her slender thumb and forefinger. I watched her move quickly and silently, her dark eyes focused and on task. I am the ...
I am incredibly blessed to live in my literal Promised Land. I prayed and waited six years for the vision God whispered to my heart to materialize in what is now our small farm. It's been quite the Jesus-led adventure so far. In other areas of my life, I am approaching the Jordan River, asking the Lord to go before me and part the waters for my ...
Seventy-four years after it was gifted to her, I have my great-grandmother's Bible in my dining room. The leather binding is cracked, but the red letters still stand out bold on the pages. I'm named for the woman who owned this Bible. She raised my precious grandma, who then raised my mom, who in turn brought me (and my siblings) up in the faith ...
My deathbed didn’t scare me. At fifteen, I was told I had a month to live. Four weeks. Thirty days. Yet dying didn’t scare me. (And not just because no one had told me.) After two years of misdiagnosis, I wasn’t able to feed, bathe, or dress myself — basically, all I could do was roll over. I lost my home, my health, and my friends. Dying didn’t ...
