Faith and Respect
November 12, 2011
Even now, I have a hard time writing about being a Christian. Every single time I start a faith-related post, worry and doubt creeps into my mind. How are my non-Christian readers going to feel about this? Will they think I'm weird? Unrelatable? And what about my Christian readers? Will they wonder how I can write a post about the fruit of the Spirit one day and one about the numskulls in the car rider pick-up line...

The Marathon
November 6, 2011
If you've been tuning into this blog, you know that I've been hosting an online version of Beth Moore's Bible study, Living Beyond Yourself. We're now in Week Eight of the ten-week session and I feel like we've been in a marathon, one we were not necessarily fully prepared for, and we're limping our way toward the finish line. In a good way, of course. This Bible study is ambitious, to say the least. It has included...

Your Child is Not the Center of the Universe
October 29, 2011
I'm just going to come right out and say it. My kids are spoiled. And you have no idea how hard it is to admit that-- which is strange, because I don't know how many times I've thought that about other people's children. Why is it so hard to admit the truth about my own? I should qualify, of course, what I mean by "spoiled." It's not so much their behavior and attitudes that I worry about right now. It's their...

Patience: Every Parent Needs It
October 18, 2011
I am now entering Day Four of a family vacation to Chattanooga and Gatlinburg and I am learning by this experience that nothing will try your patience like your own children. I mean, we're having a blast-- swimming in hotel pools, eating lots of ice cream, giggling our way through mirror mazes, shopping for souvenirs, and riding amusement park rides-- but I'm not going to lie to you. I need a break. My children...

This Might Be the Best Advice I Ever Give You
October 4, 2011
Right around the time I turned thirty, I learned to apologize. I learned to apologize even for things that weren't entirely my fault. I learned to apologize knowing full well that the other person probably wouldn't return the favor for his or her part in the mess. I learned to apologize even though it was generally embarrassing, and it wounded my pride, and in some cases, I wasn't even sure of what I was apologizing...

Searching for My Crown
September 27, 2011
I wrote this post back in March, while I was attending Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself Bible Study at my church. A change in my work schedule kept me from completing that study-- and so I decided a few weeks ago to do it again, this time online with those of you who wanted to participate. I watched the video session that inspired this post again Sunday night and looked back at this post. I realized after reading...

Goodbye for Now
September 25, 2011
Our Internet friend Sara is finally with God and free from pain. Today, and every time I think of her, I'm going to choose joy. I hope you will, too.   We'll miss you, Gitzen Girl. Image via Barry Skeates/Flickr

Dealing with Rejection
September 20, 2011
Rejection. Even the word makes me cringe inside. If we let ourselves think long enough about who has rejected us in our lifetimes, most of us could easily crawl back in bed and cry all day long. And each of us can trace that rejection back to a different source, whether it's a boyfriend, husband, co-workers, friends, or family members. It's very tempting to play the role of expert here and write about the subject...

A Glimpse of God
September 19, 2011
This is what 2010 was like for Sara: I didn’t know that I would go through months of waking up every morning and muffling my screams in a pillow for hours until the pain meds kicked in. I didn’t know my knees would swell to the point where I couldn’t bend or straighten them. I didn’t know I would try to get out of bed and fall because my legs could no longer take the pain of standing. I didn’t know I would...

Whose Approval Matters Most?
September 13, 2011
For as long as I can remember, I have loved bookstores. Reading was my passion as a child; I had my nose in a book any time I wasn't forced to be doing something else. Even now, I can think of little more delicious than taking an hour or so to choose my next adventure from the thousands of books on a bookstore's shelves. Unfortunately, I haven't had many opportunities to visit a bookstore since having kids, and when...