You don’t know what you don’t know, right? That’s parenting in a nutshell, especially with teens. It’s like you enter a whole new world. Behind Closed Doors: A Guide to Help Parents and Teens Through Life’s Toughest Issues by Jessica L. Peck was written to help parents “meet teens whereRead More →
“You have to grieve her as your friend too”. I froze a bit, as I sat with my niece Nicole a few months ago to record podcast episode # on the topic of Mother’s Day without Mom. She spoke those words, and I thought how profound. During our chat, sheRead More →
“Hi, I’m your neighbor from across the street. I just wanted to bring some things by”. The words flew out of my mouth faster than she could get the door open. She smiled as I repeated myself. “Hi, I’m your neighbor from across the street. I just wanted to bringRead More →
Sometimes God intentionally leads us on the longer path. This is the thought I had when I read passages in Exodus a few weeks ago, as part of our family devotional time. And it still resonates with me today. I’d read and heard these passages before but it was aRead More →
There’s a perfectly good reason why grief is so often described as the waves of an ocean. It’s because of the way grief ebbs and flows… Have you experienced it in that way? It helps us to paint a picture of the feelings of grief. And it helps us toRead More →
I’m grieving with Buffalo today, grieving with the families of the victims whose lives were taken during a racist attack. I’m still processing what has happened…Thinking about what can be said and how to respond… And in doing so I am reminded today of this, how my words will alwaysRead More →
Is it possible to see God in the in-between places of our life? (Updated 4/3/23) Sometimes the in-between places feel the most unsettling. The places of transition.The shift from what once was, to what will be. The in-between place. Like what am I supposed to do now? Or what amRead More →
Zig Ziglar, author of Confessions of a Grieving Christian says, “It is always darkest just before dawn”. And I love this sentiment because it has been proven true in my life. You’ve heard the saying when it rains it pours. Well, this is the way I’ve most often been metRead More →
Sometimes All it Takes is a Good Cry. I sat on the side of the bed, trying to act normal as I read through a group text from my cousins. It was in remembrance of our Aunt Emma and baby cousin Kaleb, who both died in a devastating head-on carRead More →
I led worship the day after my dad died.At the time, I didn’t know why I did it, but I did. Maybe it was a needed distraction.Maybe it was a bit of denial.Maybe I just needed and wanted that day to be normal. But it wasn’t a normal day.My dadRead More →