Cultivating your BFFs

A few years ago, there was a short-lived reality show called My New BFF, where young women competed for the privilege of being Paris Hilton’s “New Best Friend Forever”.  It was a one-sided proposition where Paris the celebrity, auditioned those eager to earn the privilege of entering her world. The title of Friend came at a price, and I couldn’t help but think of the popularity contests in my high school that only fed teenage angst and left many of us feeling insecure and unsure of ourselves. But even as adults, friendship can still be Continue Reading

Looking Back with Graditude, Looking Forward with Confidence

When Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday, our country was in the middle of the Civil War.  Loved ones were being lost daily on the battlefields in America and our country was being torn apart and full of uncertainty. It seemed there was little to be thankful for.  Yet Lincoln saw the need to seek God and be thankful for His mercy and provision during the hard times, and ask for our country’s healing and prosperity in the future.  It was a declaration of hope and trust in God that despite the turmoil in the present, God Continue Reading

Tearing Down the Walls, Weeping to the Hymns, and Singing in the Rain

This week some walls came-a-tumblin’ down. Inside the sanctuary of my church, we began a three day tear down—after 30 years of non-stop use, our church home is being remodeled, reworked, and being called The Restoration Project. A few hundred of us showed up with tools, axes, gloves and elbow grease, and the demolition began. Crowbars creaked planks apart, axes were wielded with aplomb, and lighting fixtures came down; the people of my church earnestly tackled the demolition just as earnestly as they have tackled missions trips and singing with Continue Reading

Thanksgiving: The Ultimate Survival Technique

It was Thanksgiving 1981, and since I was supposed to be thankful for what I had, I went down the list. I had: -A husband who’d just admitted to an ongoing affair    with a woman he wouldn’t give up. -A two month old son. -A completely uncertain future. -A body exhausted from stress, weeping  and nursing a newborn. -A broken, confused, disillusioned heart. -A mind ready to explode from the traffic going through it. -A holiday dinner to help prepare. -A charade to keep up in front of my family. Thankful? You're kidding, right? Continue Reading