Gideon walks around the house singing, well, yelling at the top of his lungs, “Everyone knows about ME!” I think he wants to be famous. I shush him because his little brother is trying to sleep. And then I wonder how in the world a momma is supposed to teach her boy how to be humble. I even get confused myself sometimes, what humility really means. Because there is this certain sort of longing inside all of us. An ache to be known, for our lives to count. For the things we work on to matter and to make a difference, a lasting impact in the world. And those longings do seem to be innate within us. But, how do we know when we’ve crossed the line, that thin small line between God given ambition and pride’s ugly practice? Now, I can pretty easily detect it in others. That annoyanc[...]

There's this girl I know, this girl with a wrecky house, and she never seems to be able to stay on top of things. Well, she does good for like one whole day, but it's hard for her to keep up with these three kids of hers who create as much chaos and disorder as a small tornadic disturbance. She tries, though. Every day she tries so hard. Though, it's a little bit difficult because she feels likes she's mostly either hungry or tired. She sometimes wonders if there are any other emotions in the world besides hungry and tired, but then there is an occasional hour or two in the day when she has a fleeting amount of energy and gumption. Like, right after she drinks a large glass of sweet tea. Yes, right after that, she does acquire a minute amount of happy motivation to conquer th[...]

It's funny. I've been writing on this blog for about five years now. And I recently wrote a book that will come out in August. And yet, the last few days, this has been my prayer, "Lord, teach me how to write. I don't even know how to write." It's not that I don't know how to type words out on a screen. All of us can do that. But, when I come here to this space, I have your faces in my mind and I want to give you my heart, and sometimes I don't know how to do that. I see my friends who are skeptics. Atheists and agnostics. I see my Wiccan friends. My New Age friends. My Jesus-following friends. And my friends who don't know what they believe and don't honestly care. So, I see a whole sea of faces and I don't even know who to write to. But, my friend, Kinsei, teaches me so muc[...]

Do you ever get lost in your day? If you happen to be in the same season of life as I am, you might find yourself standing a little bewildered in the middle of your kitchen, as your five year old and nearly four year old are on their hands and knees on the linoleum, simultaneously wailing at the top of their lungs because of the wretched disappointment in which their lives have turned out. You know, because your boy doesn’t like the toast with “nuts” in it and your girl seriously needs her chocky milk “warmed up.” All the while, your eight month old is pulling all the cook-books off the shelf for the umpteenth time. A momma can feel so lost before 10 a.m. And if you’re not careful, everything will ream out of control from there and you’ll only get more lost-er. (No, that’s not a [...]

Some days I walk around feeling inconsolably lonely. And I always think that it's strange. Because I have these people around me that love me well and love me deep and that I love immensely. Namely, my husband and kids. And I've got a fair amount of friends. And a cell phone and email and facebook to keep up with the ones I can't see face to face, much. But, still, I go through these phases of just feeling so lonesome. I can be smack dab in the middle of all the folks I love and yet, there's this sadness, this feeling that something isn't quite right. That somehow I'm not complete or that I'm not at home. And when I try to put my finger on it, I find that I'm ravishingly hungry for Someone else. Someone other. Like, I'm starved for God. I know. It's strange. And when I read the B[...]

When you live in the north-country, snow becomes your way of life for about three months out of the year. I've enjoyed all the sparkle and the bright white out in the yard. But, there have been these moments when I've wondered what the snow is actually good for. So, the other day, I sat at the kitchen table as the kids munched on french toast and sipped their chocky milk and, out of curiosity, I opened up my Bible and looked for some verses about snow. I found a few. A few delightful verses. For one thing, I learned that God's word is like snow. Because when God sends snow, it goes down to the earth and accomplishes His purpose. It melts and waters the ground so that little green shoots push up from the dirt. And those little green shoots grow up and they provide seeds for th[...]

I see you there, crumpling up that sheet of paper, tossing it into the waste basket and wondering if anything good will come out of your life. Or if there will just be this broken record, repeating "failure" and "you don't measure up" and "you don't deserve anything good." I see the way you try. The way you keep getting up and dressing up and showing up and hoping that things don't screw up, again. You get so tired. You're running out of energy and it's had for you to enjoy your life. Do you mind to sit down for just a minute and let me tell you some things? Some true things? Some things that could perhaps restore your soul and give you some hope? Some things that could help you keep going and maybe even set you free? You really can cease your striving. You need soul-rest.[...]

Dear Jesus-follower, Remember the King. When you rise from your pillow and draw up the curtains and pour up the coffee and open your computer. Remember Him. Jesus has claim on you. You are not your own. You were bought with a price. You belong to God because He made you. And you belong to Jesus because He purchased you with His blood. So, you are doubly His. This doesn't mean that God will hijack your personality. He made your personality. He made you with a brain that reasons and an imagination that creates and a will that chooses. He will, however, bring you to your full potential and help you become the best version of yourself.  And as you follow Him, keeping company with Him, He'll make you fully alive. So, remember this. Remember the King. When you're setting t[...]

When I was born, I had a different momma. And I don't know the circumstances of her life, exactly, when she first conceived me and then carried me around in her tummy before I was birthed out and into her arms. I just know that she was broken. Painfully so. But, still, she gave me life and she kept giving me life as she held me close and let me nurse, my eyes blinking awake in that hospital room, adjusting to all the light. I remember her well. The last time I saw her, I was five, and I can still vividly recall her giving me the white birthday cake with the blue roses made out of icing. She had her problems and her addictions, but when she was sober, she was gentle and loving and kind. When she wasn't sober, she was angry and cried a lot so I sat on the floor and cried, too. I re[...]