I’ve burned my skin several times this year. Each time was a result of poor judgment and a good dose of stupidity. The first burn happened while I was making soup. The base begins with warming olive oil in a pan with herbs and then adding sausage creating a beautiful aroma. In error, I should’ve thawed the sausage entirely instead …

You’re heard the proverbial question, “If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self?” Our minds flash back to that stupid mistake (or series of mistakes) we made as teenagers. Or we think of the first marriage. Or the second one. Or the third one. We may feel that residual pang of regret, even if …

Sometimes it’s hard to keep it together when life is falling apart. Twelve years ago I was holding my 8-week-old infant tightly to my chest as I watched flames licking the outside of my home. The soggy April ground seeped through my socks as I stood in the backyard watching my house burn from the top down. My 2-year-old thought it …

Good relationships are built, but so are bad relationships. Our relationships hold evidence that exposes the truth of what we’ve built. Social media is the neon sign for social proof of what we’ve built in our relationships. It’s all about connection and validation. We’re wired for community and need our brothers- and sisters-in-arms to help us battle through life. However, …

I spent the first portion of the year forging through Brene Brown’s Living Brave semester. This online course delved into her two bestselling books: Daring Greatly and Rising Strong. During the 12-session class I pressed into challenging introspective work that caused me to turn my emotional insides out, dissecting them with microscopic analysis. Some days were really ugly, like dumpster-diving …

This year has proven to be a challenge. It’s been a combination of pressing into growing as a wholehearted person and embracing more vulnerability and bravery. In stepping out onto these uncharted waters, I have been met with fierce resistance that has caused me to question my core values. I spent hours praying and pondering if being brave and vulnerable …

When you set your hand at rebuilding something, especially relationships, there will be opposition. Forces working against you swing into life like a wrecking ball, obliterating everything in its way. Friendships are struck with a mighty force, sending bricks flying in all directions. Rebuilding relationships is tough work. You have to be incredibly intentional and precise in rebuilding what was …

God wants to birth something in you. Maybe it’s something He placed in you a long time ago, but the dream died. Maybe it’s something that’s taking too long to develop and you haven’t seen fruition, so you’ve given up. Maybe it’s a deep hope He deposited in your soul when you were a child that you’ve long abandoned. Maybe …

“He … pulled … my tooth … out … with a tartar scraper!” I cried out between sniffles. I trudged out of the dentist’s examination room, my face splotchy from crying, my cheek swollen with a bulge of gauze underneath. I buried my head in my father’s arms as he sat in the waiting room. “He what?” My dad pulled …

Hearts are everywhere in the month of February. As if “Singles Awareness Month” isn’t ostentatious enough, cute little hearts are plastered across the retail landscape ready to slap you in the face when you’re not looking. Hearts denote love, but the connotation of the hearts of man do not compare to the connection of the Father. Love is not as …