What, Me, Worry?

What does a girl do when she’s anxious?  In my case, she bakes oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, settles down in front of her favorite chick flick and proceeds to eat the whole batch into oblivion. Chewy, sweet, slightly nutritious… escapism. There are so many things that set our nerves on edge these days.  We worry about our children’s safety.  We hear stories about people showing up at schools with shotguns and predators’ trolling the internet. Our schedules seem to be non-stop, finances and relational issues bog us down, and we torment Continue Reading

God’s Lemonade

I’m fresh off a study in my women’s group on the Book of Jonah-- four short chapters long on drama!  It’s a story of God’s interruption in the life of a man who refused His call, rebelled and bolted, got rerouted and released on the shore with no choice but to revisit his mandate to preach repentance. Could our group relate from lessons learned in our own lives!  I appreciated the honest sharing, citing second chances and divine interventions, recycled hardships and God’s unrelenting pursuit ( O Love that Will Not Let Me Go! ).  We Continue Reading

“Looking Good is the Best Revenge” and Other Worldly Myths

Last month the famous editor of Cosmopolitan, Helen Gurley Brown, passed away.  She was a pioneer of sorts in the feminist movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s.  During that time, I was an impressionable young preteen with a fascination for fashion magazines, intent on studying my budding womanhood and looking for role models anywhere I could find them. Don’t get me wrong here – my mother was a wonderful role model for me, and the older I get the more I’m grateful for her and appreciate who she was and what she gave me. She not only was a 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

Who Is Holding Your Trampoline?

I have been a fan of Dr. Donald Joy for several years, and had the privilege of meeting him at a conference where my he and my husband were speaking. I had read his book on bonding and relationships, and the first chapter, “Who Is Holding Your Trampoline?” grabbed me and never let me go.  The concept helped me understand and visualize what healthy relationships look like and how important accountability and support are, especially if a person has been in a crisis situation.   Let me explain my take on the trampoline concept: Dr. Joy, a Continue Reading