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A picture of healing and hope from the Master Gardener
Today I am honored to feature the heart of my friend Laney Wooten. Laney lives outside of Longview, Texas. She is a wife to Jon and a mother to 8 children. Laney is a worship leader, gardener, homeschool Mom and a faithful follower of the Lord. In the years I have known Laney she has lost a father, released a special needs son to full time care, parented a second child through special needs and walked through adoption and trauma. She invites you in on her most recent journey through loss, grief, and healing. I pray her vulnerability will inspire you to visit the neglected spaces in your own heart…
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Healing from Heartache in Friendships
At the age of 18 I left my hometown, pursued college, and began a life of adventure, changing addresses and meeting new people along the way. Still, there were friendships made in my formative years that were deep and meaningful to me. About a decade after leaving my hometown I paid a visit as a newly wed with my husband. While shopping in a local store he pulled me aside and said, “Hey, didn’t you say that “so and so” is one of your best childhood friends? Well, I just saw her ducking behind an aisle, obviously hiding from you.” My heart sank. Knowing that we had not invested in…
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People pleasing; an invitation to faith over fear
For a while, I had a “people pleasing” dog. She really was quite the gem because she was terrified that we would be upset with her. For the first few years of her life, when she learned that her behavior caused a negative reaction, she simply would not repeat it. Seemingly we had trained her well, and we had definitely tried. Over time however, she grew comfortable with us and now in year 8 of her life, I’m quite certain she has completely recovered from her people pleasing ways. I am not too different from her, in my complacency and trust of others, I can grow so comfortable and sure…
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Abortion. A response to Culture; combatting fear with community
Recently on social media, I have observed a variety of statements, carefully and well meaningfully crafted, to support the concept of abortion. In particular, former supreme court Justice, and women’s rights champion, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s quote, stood out to me. Interestingly, I agree with her sentiment, just for different reasons. “The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a woman’s life, to her well-being and dignity. It is a decision she must make for herself. When government controls that decision for her, she is being treated less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices.” “The decision whether or not to bear a child…
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Meet Me at the Cross: A Poem
Looking to redeem your guilt and your shame? Hoping for a way to relieve the pain. Meet me at the cross. Seeking shelter in the storm, frail and worn. Fighting a battle you can’t seem to win. Longing for love that knows no end. Meet me at the cross. Trapped in a cycle of doubt and fear. Aching to know the comfort of peace. Meet me at the cross. He makes all things new. He is waiting for you. Meet me at the cross. Gather at the cross, it’s a compass for the lost. I’m just like you, so I’ll be there too. Meet me at the cross. Though…
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Planet versus People, a path towards peace.
Some of the most magnificent moments of my life have included nature. When I think about my travels around the United States and abroad, my mind rests at “Inspiration Point” in Yosemite National Park in California. I was a college student spending the summer in California, surrounded by the majesty of Lake Tahoe, but Yosemite left me breathless. I had never seen anything like the view overlooking the Yosemite Valley, aptly named, “Inspiration Point.” The mountains, the heights, the expanse, the streams; truly hard to take in all at once. When I feel overwhelmed and I long for rest, God’s gift to me is His creation. Sometimes I feel like…
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Parenting inclusive kids in a cancel culture
I distinctly remember a birthday party in elementary school that I didn’t get invited to. I’m sure there were many I wasn’t invited to, this just happened to be one I knew about. It was one of the cool ones that involved a limo, in elementary school! And, we lived in the country. So, the limo was extra impressive. It was one of those moments in life where the event was special so the guest list was particularly slim. It was a small school, and I’m pretty sure my personality made me believe I was friends with everyone. At the time, some of my closest friends got to ride in…
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How To Build Your Log House and Lose it too; Finding perspective for 2022
Once upon a time, circa 1955, my Dad fell in love with log houses. While he loved log houses, he loved Jesus too. This is a story of love, loss and life but mostly about eternal perspective. Along the way I interviewed him about his encounters and experiences with log houses, and that interview is hiding somewhere in a journal. So, what is left feels like the things that have been most impressionable. In the mid 1960s my Dad purchased about 30 acres of land in a rural area an hour outside of Atlanta, Georgia. It was the beginning of a life long dream of his, to actually use his…
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God sees your fear; Facing fear through the Christmas story
Fight or flight. This little quip has been used over the years to describe our natural response to fear. Fear is a complicated thing. Fighting through fear can be a long process, one that isn’t contained in one simple movement of choosing to fight. In the same way, if we choose to run from our fears, it is possible for our fears to follow us, no matter where we go. The birth of Jesus was a time of both majesty and fear. For the shepherds, the evening of Jesus’ birth might have been described as traumatic for those who were present. In the darkness of the night, in what was…
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Trust and Obey
The joy and challenges of parenthood lend themselves to many life lessons. At this stage in the parenting game, at least for our family, it provides a lens through which to see so much of myself and the average human experience. It is not uncommon for me to give directions to my eldest son. My directions are typically strategic, so they are given step by step so that I don’t overwhelm the poor lad with too many tasks. Time and again I have been disappointed with the results when he is given too many steps at once! I have learned that when directions are given in small pieces there is…
