Do you really want more of the same? Black and white. Plain vanilla. Bland. Status quo. Normal. Is that what you really want? to blend in? I can still hear my fifteen-year-old daughter say to me, "Please be different." She typed those words just moments before on Facebook chat. She was trying to encourage to her friend who is struggling with Continue Reading
Freedom Is Worth Fighting For
Why is it that what I'm most passionate about goes out the window when I'm under pressure? For example, my freedom, I can have it one minute and lose it the next. All it takes is a little stress or a slight squeeze and I surrender to my old ways of self-pity, pride or hiding in shame. I don't stay there as long as I used to, but I Continue Reading
Not Allowed To Cry?
On Saturday, I spoke to a group of single moms about beauty in brokenness. Afterwards, I got mad when I learned one mom was taught as a child not to cry. This precious heart wiped her tears away as fast as she could and said "I'm sorry." "It's okay. Tears are a good thing. Tears heal us." Earlier this year during a Bible study, I met a young gal Continue Reading
Your Secret Can’t Stop God
Do you have a secret that is affecting your peace of mind? Does something you've said or done years ago make you feel unworthy or dirty still today? Do you have a regret that pins you in a corner, shouting, "Shame on you"? If so, I understand. I spent years stuck in self hatred and remorse. I allowed my secrets to bleed through Continue Reading
A Revealing Conversation with a 19 Year Old
(boys will play - filming as usual. This also counts as work for my YouTube prankster son, JStuStudios) Do you remember the feeling of freedom after high school? You've graduated, you're about to move out and now it's summer. You're free to hang out with your friends morning, noon and of course, after midnight. Free to explore, hike, camp, eat Continue Reading
Lessons from 7 Years of Blogging
You would think after seven years of blogging I would know what I'm doing. Nope, not so much. Strange online bugs bite me and leave their mark. I fly into invisible webs and get stuck. Fighting for freedom, I exhaust myself. I lose my creative self just trying to regain my flight. Can you relate? Seven years ago, I started blogging as a way to Continue Reading