My husband loves making knives. It’s a process of taking the roughhewn metal, forging and hammering, and making something sleek, beautiful, and useful. I can’t recall when this interest was kindled, but I know that when I’m using one of his hand-crafted chef’s knives for one of my favorite pastimes, cooking, I can be assured it will be sharp & precise.

Okay, here it goes... I'm a horrible gift giver. The pressure of finding the "perfect" gift for my loved ones paralyzes me…

If we are honest, there is a lot to wrestle with in Scripture. Saying we just don’t know is not a weakness or something to be ashamed of. We are all better off when we are authentic together. Also, there is so much beauty in becoming Christ followers who want to wrestle with Scripture together…

If your social media newsfeed is anything like mine, you know that school is out for summer. Almost every post I come across is end of the school year related. It might be someone in a cap and gown or pictures of a graduation party. Then there are those shots of kids grinning from ear to ear, knowing there's no more homework, tests, or assemblies for quite a while.

If you have been to more than one wedding, you have probably heard today’s Scripture read, maybe while the couple braids rope. We all get the symbolism and understand the imagery of the tight knit rope, portraying a covenant relationship dependent on the third strand to hold the other two together. But, could today’s verse be about something other than marriage?

As my 6th-grade classmates plugged their noses in disgust, I knew I was in trouble. It was a scorcher of a day. The school's broken air condition didn't help matters. As we continued to roast in the chorus room, a funky smell began to set in. People looked around and wondered about the cause of the puttered odor. Self-conscious, I prayed they wouldn't figure out it was me, but God failed to answer my plea on that day.

We do desperate things when we long to be loved. We will go to dramatic lengths to experience love, confirm we are loved, or show others we are lovable. From people-pleasing and attention-seeking to fixing our behavior and becoming a doormat, there is nothing off-limits to what we're willing to do to experience that elusive thing called love. These responses focus on our behavior and work towards being worthy of love. If we can perform, act, and look worthy, we reason we may actually be worthy.

I’m not a jewelry guy. Now, I was more than willing to go a little on the pricey side for my wife’s Denise’s ring, but I made sure I showed her some wedding bands for me on Amazon that were $30. I did not want something pricey on my hand, knowing that as soon as someone gives me a basketball, I am going to take the ring off and go play…

Being "Star of the Week" in Mr. Holt's class, my second-grade teacher, was a big deal. The recognition came with some special privileges. You were able to bring something extra for show and tell, pick out the book for story time, and take notes to the front office…

We will never make a sacrifice for God’s Kingdom when our most significant concern is our own needs and well-being. We often speak about faith, but deep down inside, we crave certainty. Rather than yearning for certainty, we must pursue clarity. Clarity is knowing what we should do…

We write it on Hallmark cards, post it to our Instagram story, cross-stitch it to a pillow, and use it to encourage a person struggling to understand God's will. Jeremiah 29:11 is one of our most beloved, yet most misunderstood, verses in the entire Bible…

My kindergarten class put on a play for our entire elementary school with me playing the distinguished role of Tree #2. All I had to do was hold my arms above my head, look dapper in my brown and green sweater, and recite one line…

The word "practice" causes people to cringe for plenty of reasons. It stirs up a host of different emotions. For some, this word brings back memories of long days of being yelled at by a coach. For others, practice has left scars after pouring everything into a dream and failing to work out. Regardless of how the word makes us feel, practice doesn't lead to perfection, but it does spur on progress and growth…

Have you ever experienced something so frustrating or stressful that it consumes you? It is the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing you think about as you fall asleep? Maybe it is just me, but there have been instances like this when the frustration of my circumstances took rule in my heart instead of the peace of Christ….

My introverted self loves rainy days and the quiet time at home it brings. When my girls were younger, we'd often watch movies or play cards and board games - now that they're teenagers, they binge-watch Netflix, play on their iPads, or FaceTime their friends. But I digress…

Two years ago, my husband and I bought our first pop-up camper. Amid the Coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions, we knew we had to invest in some form of a summer vacation plan that would allow us to explore and adventure with our kids. The solution: camping! 

When I was a sophomore in college, I studied abroad in Australia. I traveled across the world, not knowing anyone, and lived with a wonderful family. Of course, I could go down a long rabbit trail of God's provision and protection, seeing that I didn't plan much before going except buying the plane ticket, but that's a different story…

This passage of Scripture speaks to God's willingness to remind us of His faithfulness when all hope seems lost. In moments of desperation, He urges us to look back on our past to remember the strength that follows us into the future.

Let’s be honest, the disciple Thomas has a bad rap among Jesus followers. I have heard sermons where Thomas was bashed for expressing doubt. He’s even referred to as “Doubting Thomas.” What a rough way to be remembered! But both the bashing and his nickname has never sat well with me because who can blame Thomas for doubting?

Jesus had a unique way of turning our world upside down. He never did things according to the book. He had little regard for our expectations of how things should be. The crowds who flocked to Jesus were hopeful He was "the one." This man from Bethlehem would overthrow the oppressive Roman government and lead them towards freedom…