When God is Silent

June 27, 2018

5 Ways to Hold On When You Can’t Hear God’s Voice —
For a good while now, my conversations with God have been one-sided. I talk… and then there’s silence. I ask… and perceive no response. I wait……  and still there is no sense of His nearness.  This is not normal for me and God. I feel forgotten, alone, defective. Hope wanes. The light of my countenance dulls. An extended “silent treatment” has afforded plenty of time to try a few new-to-me “are you there, God?” posturings. … More When God is Silent

On Being Overwhelmed: The One Question That Makes Sense of Everything

September 2, 2017

Overwhelmed. It’s a state I’m quite familiar with. I thought we’d be less familiar the older my kids get. But Overwhelmed has a way of folding itself into every season of my life, in different forms and manifestations. For several years, God’s been teaching me to ask a specific question that disarms blurred anxiety and … More On Being Overwhelmed: The One Question That Makes Sense of Everything

The {Less Travelled} Road Back to You // Lessons from the Enneagram

June 20, 2017

I’ve been quiet over here – it’s summer, you know. But while I haven’t been writing, I have been reading and listening and thinking. You know our ultimate dual-mandate: to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves? I’ve long considered this a three-pronged mission. For we are to love our neighbors as much as … More The {Less Travelled} Road Back to You // Lessons from the Enneagram

The Way He Should Go

May 4, 2017

It’s the morning after the last TCAP (Tennessee’s standardized tests), a soft rain just the permission we needed to sleep in. As a third grader, this was Jake’s first experience with the tests that somehow mean everything and nothing. Jake is more of an athlete than a scholar, and I’m still trying to figure out what to … More The Way He Should Go

All Things New

March 28, 2017

In many ways, I am starting over. Beginning again. Stretching my wings back into the work force, looking for a new church home, mothering and managing exclusively school-aged children, laying down my ‘calling,’ searching for beauty and significance on a level deeper still.  All Things New: it sounds so fresh and clean and promising… until you get there… … More All Things New

The Gift of Seeing Upside Down

March 7, 2017

The West Wing is one of my all-time favorite TV series. I’ve seen every episode at least three times, and am currently working my way through another full run-through while I sew in the afternoons. In season two, the press secretary, CJ Cregg (Allison Janney), has a little encounter with the Organization of Cartographers for Social Equality. The mapmakers highlight the … More The Gift of Seeing Upside Down