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This morning I came outside, and it's like overnight; half the trees came to life. They were dormant sticks literally yesterday, and today here they are, transformed into shades of dark and light greens, reds, yellows, whites, and pinks. Just like that. Boom. They are FULL of new growth. It has been a heavy season full of "no's." It is so easy to get discouraged in the moment, even when everything I know to be true is that life is FULL of good, full of hope, full of beauty. I decided to sit with my good Father and just ask....

Last Mother's Day, my family surprised me with a pecan tree.  I LOVE pecan trees!  I personally think they are the most beautiful of all the trees.  We picked the perfect spot for it to thrive:  this alone is worth celebrating because it indicates that I have FINALLY learned to plant things with their mature size in mind.  Bless my heart.  Half of the things I've added to our flowerbeds cling to the house like they have separation anxiety.   One day, the puppy I had equally dreamed of noticed that baby pecan tree, and within half a minute, he...

Packing the night before, I literally kept expecting the call that the trip was cancelled. We were on the phone with each other and everyone we knew who could offer sound advice.   How do you make a decision in the chaos?  We had never experienced the world ending like this.   People had donated dollars for our trip. We had new friends in Zambia preparing for us to come and teach them to go deeper in their faith. What would it reveal about ours if we were dissuaded by some little rumors about a sickness across the world?  But...

“I lost the baby. I’m not ready to talk. Don’t say anything. Only a couple of people of people know”   Tears flooded my eyes as yet another beautiful friend began her journey of the loneliest grief. My heart just shattered for her. She had waited so long for the plus sign that would allow her to imagine what having her own child would feel like. She has passionately loved so many children, yet longs for her own. The loss of a first pregnancy especially, leaves you vulnerable to fears—can my body ever carry a baby?  Is this even an...

It wasn't a new disagreement.  It's a situation that we have limited control over, yet it impacts us regularly.  Brad and I are pretty different, so the way we think things should be handled often conflicts.  Most of the time, we can work through our different ideas in healthy ways.  But on this night, our different personalities crashed against a situation that feels like an impenetrable wall we have struggled against for a long time.  Add a couple of dashes of we are both absolutely exhausted, and it was not going to go well.    What do you do when...