Have you ever struggled at showing up - as a friend, as a spouse, as a brother or sister, as a parent, or even as a follower of Christ? Yup, we are going there already! It’s been easy not to show up over the last year. So much has happened with the pandemic and life going on during it that we may feel like we are disappointing the people around us…

Families are filled with broken people who have their own struggles and failures. Even though we know this to be true in our heads, we struggle to believe this in our hearts…

Batman was always my favorite growing up, but there was one day, specifically, that solidified our bond forever. I grew up with two brothers – Robert, who is 4 years older than me, and Nate, who is 10 years older. I played more with Robert because of our ages and many other factors. But this also meant we fought all the time. Such is the beauty of brotherhood…

Sometimes as a parent, I feel like there are certain things that I constantly repeat to my kids. One of those is some version of, "Be kind to your brother/sister." Another is, "Can you please be patient?" And now that our youngest has gotten to the age where she can get involved with the other two, I have added, "Be gentle, she's still learning!" to the mix…

Reflection is such a powerful tool. I hope you have found moments in life where you have looked back and thought, “Wow. Look how far I have come!”

I think about this every day when it comes to my walk with Jesus. I grew up with a family that pastored and went to church at every opportunity…

We have a view of the world that frames everything we see, and for many of us, fear serves as our dominant lens. Whether it be the fear of missing out, the fear of letting go, or the fear of rejection, fear grips our hearts. It also influences our connections, both with God and others. Our fears create more conflict, strife, and the cycle of distrust continues…

Today’s scripture reading reveals a solid appeal to maintain a culture of accountability, done the right way. 

Addressed to a group of Jewish converts who would have been strong in Old Testament knowledge and were also tempted to revert to Judaism, this letter serves as a reminder of how we must love each other the way God loves us…

I was the youngest of three children, with a big sister and brother. I was not the first born, not the first girl, not the first at anything. So, there was a struggle of being compared, especially because my closest sibling, my brother, was the well-behaved one, the smart one, and the “never, never gets in trouble” one…

If you are anything like me, you read these words and whole heartedly agree with what they say.  You also read them and feel slightly overwhelmed at what it means to live them out…

A few weeks ago, I was heading out of town. It was a rare situation because I was going alone, without my three toddlers and my husband. I was looking forward to the trip, but I started getting nervous about leaving as the time grew closer…

One of the greatest lies is believing that some of us were born to be alone. This is not a conversation about being an introvert, an ambivert or an extravert; being alone is detrimental to our health.  Friends who can be considered family are some of the greatest gifts we will ever have in this life…

Author Mark Twain once said, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in our society.” I wish I could go back in time and read this to the 6th-grade version of myself. Maybe, just maybe, that would’ve woken me up and helped me realize the way to be “the man” in middle school was not to have your mom pick out your wardrobe…

Philadelphia and cheesesteaks. Seattle and Starbucks. New Orleans and Po'Boys. Chicago and deep-dish pizza. Baltimore and crab cakes. 

It's funny how some cities are famous for specific dishes. When you think of the town, a particular food comes to mind…

Corinth was a big city with a lot of diversity which is one of the reasons Paul purposefully went to Corinth to share the good news of Jesus. Paul spent a lot of time simply talking to people about Jesus and inviting them into the fullness that can only be found in Christ…

We are all predisposed to respond to evil with evil. Over time, some of us may train our minds and hearts to respond with something else, but most often, our knee-jerk reaction is to throw more evil around…

I was making dinner and had vegetables laid out to wash. My youngest was four years old at the time. She has always been curious and asks a lot of questions. This evening, in particular, she picked up this ugly, dirty, brown ball, and as she asked…

Squinting at the shore, I didn't recognize my surroundings. None of the beach umbrellas looked familiar. Neither did any of the houses that lined the shore. Finally, after riding a wave in, I began to walk down the beach and continued to walk and walk and walk…

Be perfect, whew, no pressure, right? My initial reaction to this verse is a combination of frustration and defeat. No one is perfect; I can't live up to that! But the last part helps bring it into perspective for me…

Until a year ago, I drove a 2001 Ford Focus, so I didn't pay much attention to the tachometer. That gauge was irrelevant. When I turned on the ignition, I just hoped it started. 50MPH was about as fast as it went, and that's when it was coasting downhill…

If you’re like me, you had that friend growing up who always seemed to be the next level of better. For me, it was my “bestie.” Friends since the age of three, we were always together, doing the same things…