Reaching Beneath the Surface

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Reaching Beneath the Surface

The past week has been a whirlwind of activity.

Packing and goodbyes all around.

When it comes to packing, I tend to procrastinate because the moment I start I will have to deal with all the chaos that comes with it and my life is already pretty chaotic. So, I like to do it all in just a couple days. It’s stressful and overwhelming, but it only lasts for a moment.

The goodbyes. Those are hard. But it was a little different this time. I didn’t say goodbye to one person I didn’t feel like I wouldn’t see again. It was definitely more of a “see ya later”.

Have you ever voluntarily pulled all of your junk out of every crevice of your house and asked people to come help you pack it?

 

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Dear Self

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Dear Self

Now you’re in it.

You've set a plan into play and you’re watching it grow.

Maybe it’s just a trickle for now, but it’s been enough to peak your interest.

It’s enough to determine that what you’ve began you should at least continue.

This is just a plug, a nod, a nudge to tell you to keep going.

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How Do You Know When It’s Time to Go?

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How Do You Know When It’s Time to Go?

Many of our friends and family already know this, but we wanted to share it here too.

We’re moving.

You know it’s God when your husband comes home and says, “I think we should move in with your mom”.

That’s exactly what happened a few months ago.

Immediately we both knew it was what we were supposed to do.

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Shake that Zombie Off

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Shake that Zombie Off

Most of us live too safe. 

Most of us live too tired. 

Most of us live too bored and too busy. 

We are so preoccupied by what we have to do or what we didn’t get done that we neglect to see the joy in the faces of our children, the beauty in the world around us and to just be thankful. (John 10:10)

I’ll just say it this way. We all have the tendency to be a little zombie-like at times.

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Embracing the Gift of Work

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Embracing the Gift of Work

"So, what should I do next?"

I speak to audiences of people on a pretty regular basis, so this is a question I hear often.

I mean, I get it.

You're searching for a blueprint or formula than can carry you in the right direction and ideally, help you secure a more successful future, right?

But what if there's more to it than this?

Motivation is a powerful thing, especially when it comes to how we look at work.

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9 Critical Things Learned After Stepping Away from Ministry

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9 Critical Things Learned After Stepping Away from Ministry

A couple years ago my husband and I made a transition out of our jobs at a church and ministry.

Out of this transition we entered one of the most challenging seasons of our lives.

This often left us asking ourselves if we did the right thing. I think that’s a question anyone would ask. When you move on, especially in ministry, there is this belief that things are supposed to be newer, brighter, shinier, that opportunities are supposed to pour from the sky and everything is going to be A-Okay.

There are many reasons we encountered some of the hardships we did and then there are some things I really can’t explain, and that’s okay. But we aren’t going to talk about that right now.

What I do want to talk about is what we learned over the past two years and what we were maybe tempted to question but we are now convinced of beyond a shadow of a doubt.

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7 Ways to Ensure You Don't Self-Destruct

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Have you ever shared something you’ve labored over for a long time? 

I mean, have you ever really extended yourself to show the fruits of your labor in a way that’s almost uncomfortable? 

For several months now, I’ve been working on a side project, and now, it’s finally ready.

Let’s talk for a second. 

So, you exposed your ideas to the entire world, but have you ever had a conversation with yourself that went something like:

“Okay, time to write this paper!”

You sit down to write the paper…nothing. Crickets. The thought train has derailed and the memory bank is closed. 

 

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Cooking Up Some Truth

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Cooking Up Some Truth

I love cooking.

It’s a fairly recent development. I think it got really serious when I started watching cooking shows and reading cooking blogs.

It hasn’t always been that way. When I first got married I made breakfast burritos with maple sausage. Just one bite inspired my gag reflex. It tasted like Mexican food drenched in syrup.

Matt actually ate one and went back for seconds (because he’s a man and I feel like they will eat anything) but half way through he conceded. It was wretched. But now I think I’m a fairly decent cook. I love to add layers of flavor to my food and I love to make things from scratch.

 

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Escaping Comfort

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Escaping Comfort

Do you remember school dances? I do.

The dress, the hair, the date. All awkward, all the time.

One night after one of these historic dances I decided to corner my date in the car.

He couldn’t escape. He had to hear me out. He didn’t have a choice unless he wanted to tuck and roll out of a moving vehicle. He listened to me rant and cry for a good fifteen minutes because I couldn’t take it anymore.

I had to get out.

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Why Creativity Matters So Much

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Why Creativity Matters So Much

Student: “You don’t want me to draw that.”

Professor: “Oh, really? Why’s that?”

Student: “Because I don’t know how.”

Professor: “Art isn’t about learning to draw, it’s about learning to see.”

 

I had a college professor share these words with me once, and now, I’m sharing with you.

Because art, or more appropriately creativity, is not about learning to draw, it’s about learning to see.

 

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Fighting Back

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Fighting Back

For the past 3 months I have barely left my house.

Back in December our only car got totaled and it left this stay-at-home mom totally stranded with two small children.

Now, before you start to feel sorry for me let me tell you the truth. I didn’t mind it. For someone who is supposed to be a sanguine extrovert I was oddly comfortable inside my little house for entire weeks at a time. And then it happened... 

 

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The Gift of Failing Forward

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The Gift of Failing Forward

Failure is the greatest educator I know.

Nothing sticks or stands out as much as missing the mark. Wins in life are good. But, for me, as an achiever, it’s not long after a high mark that I start looking for another moment to conquer.

Failure, however, reveals ways that I’ve missed the mark. It gives me a chance to get better.

 

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Take the Risk

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Take the Risk

Here is something that scares me...when people don’t understand.

People won’t always understand our actions.

Why did I do that? Why did I say that? Why did I write that?

It’s seriously frightening. Hands sweating as I type these words, frightening.

There’s a risk we take when we put it all out there.

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Forget Tips on Dating...Here's How to Stay Married without Losing Your Mind

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Forget Tips on Dating...Here's How to Stay Married without Losing Your Mind

So, now it's done.

You've tied the knot and said "I do." And whether that was six months ago or decades ago, you've made the commitment to stand together, " For better or for worse, 'til death do you part."

The vows of marriage are not to be taken lightly. Chances are, if you've been in this for longer than a year, then you know marriage is something you have to fight for. If I could be really honest, I would say there are even times where you're not feeling it and you just have to make it work.

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3 Things that Scare the Pants Off of Me

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3 Things that Scare the Pants Off of Me

Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”

The kingdom of God and His righteousness, simply put, is His rule, His reign, and His way of doing things.

Over and over again scripture bids us do the things we aren’t naturally inclined to do and lots of times we just boil Christianity down to good behavior. But, there are a few things in scripture that challenge me beyond “just shut up and be nice to people”. And I’m willing to bet there are times where you feel the same

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Dear Pastor

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Dear Pastor

Dear Pastor,

In the wake of recent events, I’ve penned this letter out of grave concern for your well-being.

It seems lately that some of your kind have fallen away.

It’s been said that where there is smoke, you can expect fire. For those of us watching, it was obvious in those circumstances what was going to happen.

Some of us have scattered, while others have stayed. Some of us are exiles, hoping that one day amends can be made for the injustice we found within the walls of the churches we once knew as home.

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The Battles We Fight

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The Battles We Fight

Seeds of discipline sown in times of adversity will be reaped as discipline’s reward in times of harvest.

You may have read my husband’s post about how we didn’t kiss until we were married. If you missed it, you can check it out here.

Shortly before I met Matt, I decided the next person I kissed would be my husband. And to me there was only one way to ensure that was the case. Our first kiss had to be on our wedding day.

I had kissed other guys before and after thinking about it I realized I was sowing seeds of commitment that could never be reaped. It was time to sow seeds of discipline.

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8 Ways to Embrace Awkward Social Situations

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8 Ways to Embrace Awkward Social Situations

In unfamiliar social situations I am going to do one of two things:

I’m either going to jump in the deep end with all my clothes on and embrace the situation or I am going to avoid the pool altogether. 

My preference is the former. I love people. I love making people laugh and love making people feel like they can be completely themselves around me and not have to apologize for it.

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Closer

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Closer

When I had my first child I had no idea how to prepare myself emotionally. 

For the first few months of her life I didn’t even feel like the same person.

I recently told my husband that during that time I felt more alone than I have in my entire life. Even when he was there I felt alone. He was always there for me, by the way. He was incredibly helpful and loved our little family well. But there was a sadness that crept over me like a blanket sometimes.

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