My mom wanted me to make plans for us to go see a play that afternoon. It was last minute, but it was a Saturday, and she was in a good mood. We’re going to have a good day, I thought. She sat on her bed, Bible in her lap, her beer next to her, and she told me to look up the phone number to the venue. I did what she asked and called, but I ...
I am afraid of the ocean. I’m afraid of its unpredictability, the way the waves never come in the same way, the way it changes so quickly with the tide and the wind. I’m afraid of its depth and its expanse, the way I can’t see down to its floor or see its end beyond the horizon. The ocean has moods that change with its color, and out of fear, I ...
Here at (in)courage, we often feel the longing for deeper connection. We praise God for the blessing of this online platform, this virtual table where we can pull up pixilated chairs from all corners of the globe and commune together over the bread of a shared story. Your responses here on the blog, your likes and hearts and comments on social ...
“Halloween is coming soon!” exclaimed my three-year-old one bright spring day in May. He was sporting his costume from the previous year as we began discussing the only trick-or-treating experience he had memory of and whether we would do the same again. He asked, "Is Daddy coming with us?" My son is a daddy's boy through and through, but that ...
“…she can laugh at the days to come.” Proverbs 31:25 (NIV) Hannah was a German exchange student my daughter and her friends befriended their junior year, and theirs was a friendship that didn't end when Hannah returned to Germany. We saw her when we lived there a year later, and again when she made a return trip to the States. Hannah’s English ...
It’s usually very subtle. I’ll be thinking about something I want to do or something I sense God calling me to, and all of the sudden this nauseating sense of insecurity will come over me. Out of the blue, uncertainty will sneak up on me and whisper: You can’t do that. You’re not good enough or competent enough. And many times I’ve gone along ...
I’m in the market for some flashcards. For the first time since starting school, Annalyn is struggling a bit with math. I’m grateful her teacher constantly communicates with us and let us know she needs to work on some math facts. With a little extra effort I’m sure Annalyn will be back up to par for third-grade math. Side note: I’m not so ...
This spring I left my half-sick husband home with our five young kids for five days and drove to a writer’s conference. My life was a mess at home — especially the laundry room. Along with the five children, I left six chicks (who can fly) in a galvanized metal horse trough in the middle of my laundry room. They were hopping out and pooping ...
One not-so-fine day I woke up to catch my computer deleting all my photos. One by one, gone. Y'all. That's a stinkin' sinking feeling. My son's birthday party? POOF! My daughter's graduation? GOODBYE! Our family's Christmas brunch from last year? DELETED! I knew I should have heeded the warnings, but alas, I'm not good at slowing down ...
I’m standing in the movie ticket line with my white son-in-law, and people are staring like crazy. That’s because I’m black, and Paul, who’s actually biracial with a Mexican American mom and a Scottish American dad, looks more “white” than anything else. So do his three little kids, my three youngest grandchildren, all standing in line with us to ...
