Before nap time today, I read "Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel" to my small kids. If you've never heard of this classic, it's about a steam shovel that has grown old and begins to feel useless in a world that is moving and changing. On the last page, I couldn't even read I was so choked up. Besides the fact that I'm highly emotional today, the story struck a chord with me because of our recent trip to see my grandparents in Connecticut. My grandpa is 92 and my grandma isn't too far Read More
2014 Year in Review
Here we are at the end of another year! I guess we all KNOW that time passes quickly, but it's mind boggling to actually experience it. Kind of like the difference between STUDYING space travel and actually DOING it. Not that I can verify this...Let's move on... Penelope Raine is now two. The terrible twos (which began somewhere around 15 months) don't seem to be AS terrible anymore and she is charming us with her new language skills and baby blues. Her favorite words to say are Read More
What Does it EVEN MEAN That God Protects Us?
This morning my eight year old and I found a quiet moment to read a devotional together. "The Lord is our Shepherd," the page read, "Always watching over us and protecting us." I began to read the line and then purposefully skipped over the words "and protecting us." I wasn't exactly sure why I skipped it, and if I had two bodies, ONE of me would have put her hands on her hips and turned her head to look at the other me in confusion. I kissed Darcy on her forehead and she ran out the door to Read More
The Imperfect Pastor
Today I called my friend who just happens to be a pastor’s wife. “How are ya?” I ask casually. “Not good,” she says, not trying to pretend in the least. My ears perk up and I can feel myself getting excited by her rawness. “Okay, so what’s going on?” I dig a little until I run into some roots. “We’re just having trouble this week… I don’t feel very loved by him…” After several minutes of conversation, we come to the source of their primary struggle: she was frustrated that her husband Read More
“I Have a Dream…”
Just yesterday I gathered my children around me to share how God had been working in my heart. “I have a dream…” I began. I didn’t even get to my fifth word and my eight-year-old barged in, sharing her dream from the previous night. And then my four-year-old. And then my two-year-old. After somehow managing to get back control, I showed them the map titled “Global Status of Evangelical Christianity” that I have been watching evolve for the past decade. After explaining what each color Read More
How I Learned to Make Adult Friendships
College dorm life was a dream come true for an extrovert like me. Coming from a small family with only one brother, I loved having seventy girls on my hall to hang out with at any hour of the day. Not only that, but each of my roommates became my new soul sister. It felt like glorified, year-round Bible camp. In 2001, I left dorm 19-2 of Liberty University, got married, and moved to Northern Virginia. Although being married to my best friend was amazing, it was still an adjustment. Our new Read More
The Night I Asked For Prayer instead of Chocolate
Recently I called two friends and asked if we could get together for prayer and accountability. I knew it wasn’t going to be much fun. I mean, I would have much rather asked them to go to Applebees for a Triple Chocolate Meltdown, but I knew I needed this. I needed to reach out and admit that I wasn’t doing okay and that I needed prayer. It was the last thing on earth that I wanted to do--be vulnerable and share my sin struggles. It’s a lot easier to put on like I’m strong and have Read More
I am a Pastor’s Wife
When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, there were a lot of things on my list. There was one thing, however, that I did NOT want to be and that was…(you guessed it)…a pastor’s wife. I’m not sure how it happened exactly... which (I know what you’re thinking) is completely naïve and foolish, but one minute I was a junior in college dating a tall, handsome Biblical Studies major... ...and then the next minute we were engaged, and he was looking at a job as a Bible teacher at a Christian Read More
When You Forget the Most Important Thing
Well, it happened. I’ve heard of it happening to others, but never imagined it would happen to me. Everything was packed and ready for our missions trip to Iceland. I was taking a team from our church to Reykjavik to run an English camp for Icelandic children. I had the lesson plans, construction paper, multi-leveled books, writing paper, stickers, small prizes, and had even remembered to bring extra staples in case we ran out. My list had all been checked off and I was feeling pretty proud Read More
Conflicted
Tonight I decide to sit and just watch Penelope. She’s digging through her Color Wonder tub mumbling, “Ellow…” and I decide instead of cooking or organizing or cleaning, I would just watch her. After all, she won’t be 21 months and 27 days ever again. She starts to dump the entire tub over, but I become aware enough to screech a sound that brings her to a halt. We make eye contact. She continues digging for a marker until she eventually just dumps everything out. This time I’m not quick Read More
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