I don’t know who said it first, but my daddy always quoted J. Vernon McGee as saying, “We should always be ready to preach, pray, or die.” But growing up going to church, I found that there was more to being a pastor than preaching a sermon: A pastor must not only teach God’s Word,…
I still remember my aunt’s phone call that summer of 2006. My cousin Brian had met a girl. I was newly married myself. And I couldn’t have been happier that my strong but tender-hearted cousin had found the girl he wanted to marry. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room the next January. Heartland’s…
I am Javert. I see everything black and white. Justice, all must be fair. Yet, I am Eponine. Dirty and rotten. Ever failing. So desperately in need of mercy. Then there are my little Cosettes looking up at me. Innocent in so many ways yet already in need of grace. And I feel the struggle…
“Mom, when I grow up, I’m going to have the perfect life.” So said my almost-six-year-old yesterday afternoon. She went on to describe the perfect Aspen trees she’d climb, the horses she’d ride. And I lost track of her detailed perfection as I looked around at the toys strewn all over the floor, her mis-matched outfit and…
Sunday morning worship time isn’t always very conducive to worship when you’re a mom. I breathe a big sigh of relief if we even make it there on time and in one piece. And then I try to sing the right words at the right time while balancing a child in one arm and a…
Sometimes I stare in the mirror on Sunday mornings and wonder why I bother. Why put on the makeup, why wear the cute skirt? Because when we see each other Sunday morning, our children bouncing up to us, the makeup covering the tired bags under our eyes–that’s not real relationship. We exchange hellos and compliment…
I suck it in as I glare at the mirror and do my best to dress to hide my extra baby weight. Even as I remember that some of my friends would do almost anything to have those stretch marks and that baby weight. They hope against hope each month that they will need to test. But…
It feels like we’re jumping into the busy season with both feet. All except for Mom–she’s not doing anything with both feet at the moment. My mother-in-law broke her ankle on Tuesday. And her fall threw us all into a bit of confusion, as we rearrange schedules and plan for a summer without the help…
When the beating of your heart Echoes the beating of the drums There is a life about to start When tomorrow comes! (lyrics to “Do You Hear the People Sing”) It was over ten years ago that I was first introduced to Les Miserables. I knew it was a classic book, of course, but that…
I eat chocolate chips when I have a cold. I know sugar is the last thing I need when I am sick, but the chocolate chips feel so creamy and smooth on my sore throat — until they make me cough later. I am the same way with rest. I scan Facebook when I am…
It’s what I feel when he reaches behind the driver’s seat to hold my hand, sitting there behind him. It’s what I know I am when he’s tired and working late and we’re taking care of kids more than each other. It’s what I feel when I walk out of doors and feel the breeze…
I have spent so much of my life being afraid of what people will think of me. I should have worn something different tonight — I am going to stick out like a sore thumb. Her hair is so gorgeous — everyone must think mine looks awful. My house is a mess — I can’t…
The End.
The End.