Hide-and-seek is one of my favorite games as a mom. Crouching down in my favorite hiding spot, keeping my breath as quiet and controlled as possible, I try to fade into the background and make myself invisible. I get such a thrill when I suck in my breath as my kids walk into the darkened […]
December comes rolling in with a vigor that can be full of childlike excitement or of the dread of “too much to do and too little time.” I’m not going to lie, I’m going to have to fight for the childlike wonder this year. In addition to all of the other added expectations the holidays […]
Gratitude breaks the seal to a deep soul healing. It heals our vision and is the key that unlocks the gateway to abundance. Healed eyes see beautiful wildflowers where weeds once grew. Healed eyes see bounty instead of lack and opportunity instead of opposition. Eyes healed by gratitude’s touch are eyes wide open – eyes awakened to grace.
One sentence in a Beth Moore Bible study years ago significantly changed my faith journey and relationship with Jesus. I was new to town, I didn’t know anyone, and I was in a room full of women, which can be…well, let’s face it, ladies, it can be terrifying. I contemplated leaving as I sat alone […]
Easter weekend is upon us, and many of us have taken communion, remembering our Lord’s last meal with his beloved friends. Several of us have watched an Easter movie or two or attended a Good Friday church service to remind us of the terrible suffering Christ went through on the cross for us. Often times, […]
Many of us don’t do anything for Lent or maybe we meant to but it crept up too quickly. Whether or not you have given it much thought, I really encourage you to check out the podcast today. I have come to love this season, and am excited to share with you the gift God […]
“For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” […]
Brokenhearted, I laid my head down on the table on our porch and pray-cried, feeling every mom-inadequacy rising up within me. My daughter had just left for a place I didn’t want her going, and now the last words we spoke were fighting words – another round of a battle that we are both exhausted […]
Rise Up Episode 2: Hope When You Face “A New Normal” Many of us have had to deal with the ridiculously difficult realities of facing, “a new normal.” Whether a diagnosis, relationship changes, life transitions, or other circumstances that have messed with our comfort and security, we know the emotional roller coaster that those uncertainties […]
This is An Abundant Life’s first official podcast episode of “Rise Up” where we will hear ordinary women who have had to Rise Up from extraordinary circumstances and deep valleys and have watched as God did a great work in their life. This absolutely could not come at a better time, because, I think we […]
DAY TWO: THE GOOD PORTION There’s a piece of cheesecake in our fridge I’ve been waiting to eat until just the right moment – a time when I NEED it – a time when the overwhelm gauge is dipping more toward “possible insanity” than “cool, calm, and collected.” I’ll wait until a time […]
The holidays are upon us. Today is the 2nd biggest shopping day of the year, with over 100 million people braving the stores, so today’s message may be just what we need to kick off the celebrations in an intentionally joyful mindset! For many of us, we are hoping to push through the […]
Christmas isn’t full of tidings of joy and great cheer for everyone all season long. Sometimes our tanks that are already on empty are now pushed to even greater limits, and this holiday ends up having more blahs than fa-la-la-la-las. We will begin a 6 week devotion that will use scripture, stories, worship, & […]
As I take a step closer, smells of death fill my nostrils and turn my stomach. He moves toward me slowly and the sound of his large, heavy feet crushing the rocks beneath him sound like the crushing of bones, bones of all those who have died by his hand. His enormous body strangely […]
You thought you had a handle on it. You thought things were going so well. How, then, could you possibly be here…again?? “What a screw up. You’re never gonna get this right. I thought you were smarter than this. This must just be who you really are. Your kids/husband/family/friends are better off […]
When my husband and I were deciding what day to commemorate as the anniversary of the restoration of our marriage, it would have made sense to choose the day he moved back into our home after being separated. But after some discussing, we chose the day he left. Because that was the day God […]
Maybe you’ve screwed up as a mom. Maybe you wish you could go back and do things differently…so, so differently. Maybe you wish you had taught them more, nagged them less. Maybe you see all of your mistakes in them and wonder what happened – I should have made them get […]
It’s brutal feeling betrayed by your best friend. The one who is supposed to protect you and keep you from danger is the very one who makes you feel unsafe, confused, not good enough. The pain can be brutal, even tormenting. “Et tu, Brute?” meaning “Even you, Brutus?” is the phrase from Shakespeare’s […]
Fear can blind you, sink its teeth into you, drain you, and leave you gasping for air. Fear is a sneaky little emotion that used to cause me a lot of trouble and still likes to lurk around every once-in-awhile. It can creep in unnoticed, spread quickly, and take over everything like a tricky […]
Here is a prayer I should have been praying the first fifteen years of our marriage instead of trying desperately to control my husband and our circumstances. I learned that even if your circumstances don’t change right away, your heart and mind can. Begin by allowing God to change you, and other things will begin […]
