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When Storms Come
When the school year finally rang its last bell, I felt confident the summer would bring lots of sunshine, happiness, and much-needed rest. Instead, we got rain—lots and lots of rain. Thirty-five trillion gallons of rain fell (by May), and water soon flooded parts of North Texas. Many folks lost their homes, their livelihood. Perhaps the sun will come out tomorrow? The rain eventually stopped, but my mood didn’t change. I noticed the political tornadoes forming all over the news and social media. Along with these types of violent twisters came unkind words, hurt feelings, and broken friendships. The destruction continues, and it still moves chaotically all over…
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Quiet Presence: Comfort Those Who Hurt
Yesterday two dear friends called with heartbreaking news—news that will change the course of their lives. And as a “word” person, I’m profoundly aware of how inadequate words are at such times. In fact, offering comfort can be as much about what we don’t say as what we do…. An obstetrician friend told me that during his first year of medical practice, he sat with a couple who lost a baby at twenty-three weeks. Feeling at a total loss for words, he sat in silence and wept with them. He felt surprised when they later thanked him profusely saying, “You said just the right words.” He wondered “What words? I…
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Ways to Minister to a NICU Family
My sweet friend Kayla Grey has been dear to me since she met her husband-to-be at Probe Ministries’ Mind Games camp several years ago. It has been a joy to walk with this wise, smart, loving, godly young woman as she married and had her (first) two sons, the second of whom had a difficult delivery and spent nine hard, hard days in NICU. I loved this post on her blog Renown and Crowned so much I asked if I could share it here. The overwhelming nature of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can paralyze even the most organized families. Suddenly you are living a life you never planned,…
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You Ready to See Your Fixer Upper?
Who doesn’t love HGTV’s Fixer Upper? My Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds go crazy during and after each episode. My girlfriends and I love Joanna and all her decorating tips and ideas. And Chip? Well, he’s hilarious. He inspires Joanna and challenges her in so many ways. What I love about this show, however, has nothing to do with shiplap, farmhouse sinks or color scheme ideas for my home. I love it because Chip and Joanna revitalize dilapidated houses into beautiful homes. I also love it because the show reminds me of what God has done in the life of a believer. We sought something better. As unbelievers, we wanted more—more of…
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The Nature of Grace
“Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now—life for many people.” (Genesis 50:20, The Message). It’s embarrassing to admit, but for almost a decade now, I’ve viewed Genesis 50:20 as simply the verse that brought me comfort* after a painful breakup. He was my first serious boyfriend, I was infatuated with being in love, and I was truly shocked that someone would dump me in such an abrupt and callous manner. So in my 19-year-old mind, I categorized my ex-boyfriend’s actions as “evil” but took heart that God had “good” (read “someone better…
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This Daughter of Mine
Sometimes life brings dark, lonely moments that seem endless. And just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does. Like a contraction during childbirth, you breathe through it, screaming every second of that moment for a glimpse of relief. I’ve had many, many moments like that but nothing comes close to what I went through in 1997. In the midst of it all, a baby’s cry—God’s gift of mercy and grace in a living song. This Daughter of Mine Seventeen years ago today, God gave me a daughter. This daughter of mine, I’m nothing like her, but in so many ways she’s just like…
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The Beautiful Attitudes – Part V: Blessed are the Merciful
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7)
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The Tabernacle of Moses – God’s Heavenly Pattern for our Spiritual Transformation – Part V: The Most Holy Place
THE HOLY OF HOLIES The Outer Court of the Tabernacle, as viewed by someone approaching it, would appear as a privacy fence fifty cubits (2) (72.9 ft/22.3m) wide by one hundred cubits (145.8 ft/44.5m) long by five cubits (7.3 ft/2.3m) high made of fine (i.e., with a high thread count per inch) white linen supported by bronze posts (twenty on the long sides and ten on the short sides) with bronze bases and silver caps on top (Exodus 27:9-15). Also, there were silver hooks on the posts for attaching the linen and bronze stakes for cords to support the posts on both sides (Exodus 27:17-19).
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The Transformation of a (Bible) Church Lady
The nut of any story of transformation is “I used to…but now…” Evolving in Monkey Town is Rachel Held Evans' story of transformation. Daughter of a Dallas Theological Seminary grad, Rachel used to be a Bible Church going, Christian Character Award winning, youth group leading, Bryan College attending young woman quite certain of the answers to the hard questions about God. Christianity meant having the right opinions about God and being able to defend them at all costs. Her self-worth and sense of purpose were all wrapped up in “getting God right.” But now she describes herself as “moving through doubt to belief.” Belief held with open hands and a…
