I decided to repost this blog from a few years ago since I've talked recently about rebuke/correction on here. As you can see, it's been quite the theme for a few years! Thankfully, God has not given up on me and I know He has done a work to soften my heart. I am a work in progress, and He is not finished with any of us! *** Last Friday, there were some words exchanged in our home that led me to lock myself in the bathroom and get on my knees. (Deep breath for those of you who thought being a Read More
Being IN the Psalms
I was asked to write a blog post this summer about a Psalm that I felt I was living in. I thought I'd post it on here too. Here's what I came up with: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I KNOW my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.”- Psalm 51:1-3 This summer has been rough in some ways. Not in every way of course. I have spent the Read More
Meet Gelisa
Those of you who know me know that I love a good story. I love reading stories, telling stories...but most of all, discovering God stories...you know...stories that make you stand in awe of God's personal involvement and power. Recently I asked Jesus to send me some God stories that I could document and share on this blog. I'm so thankful that God brought Gelisa to our church three years ago. It's really quite the story, and I'm thankful that she's willing to share it. So, make sure you're Read More
Top 10 Lessons Learned in 2015
I came across this blog title last year and made a note to copy it. It's one of my traditions at the end of a year to read my journal from that year. It's always an insightful activity...to remember what I struggled with...to reflect on what God has taught me... After going through my journal from 2015, a few themes stood out. Here are the Top 10 Lessons from 2015: 1. I am weak. I haven't blogged a ton this past year. Of course, it has something to do with having four kids and being Read More
Just a Post About Anger
Aisle Two was not the place to be this morning. Today at WalMart, I heard a Dad completely lose his temper with his toddler. In the next aisle over, another shopper and I made eye contact, both thinking the same thing. "Holy cow..." After feeling sorry for the kid and some remorse for the father who was clearly at his end, I couldn't help but think, "But for the grace of God, there go I..." Growing up, the last thing anyone would have described me as was angry. I was a gregarious, Read More
My Crisis of Faith and How to Get Through Your Own
Have you ever asked your self one of these questions: If ultimate truth really does exist, how could I even find it? And, if I did find it, how would I know that I’ve found it? There are so many religions out there, how could we possibly know which one is right? Even though I was born in a Christian home, went to church three times a week, attended Christian college, and went right from there into ministry life, I went through a crisis-of-faith of sorts at age 28. It actually began the 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
Today is Our Anniversary
I never wanted to get married, at least that’s what I claimed. I met Colby John Garman my freshman year of college right outside the post office on campus. He was wearing a plastic bow tie (obviously attained from the nearby dollar theatre) and shook my hand jokingly like a politician. I can remember the morning sun was in my eyes as I looked at him and could really only make out a fuzzy silhouette. I didn’t think twice about him. I was meeting new people every single day. As the year Read More
The Story of My Miscarriage (Proceed with Caution)
My friend asked me to write about my miscarriage for an e-book she's writing. After a few hours writing/crying/reliving this experience, I thought to myself: Why would anyone want to read this? This question prevents me from sharing a lot of what I write. However, today I'm deciding to post this in hopes that it will 1) help someone not feel so alone in the wake of their miscarriage 2) encourage someone by telling them how I got through it. If you don't like miscarriage stories, you Read More
Mommy Angst (Part 4 of 4)
Jerry Falwell died before I was able to ask him my question. It really is unfortunate since there's a part of me that still is slightly perturbed at him. It wasn't just his flippant statements post 9-11 or his rash opinions of the TeleTubbies, or even the fact that his reputation made me feel uncomfortable whenever someone asked me where I went to college. It's the fact that every Wednesday for my entire college career Jerry spoke at our convocation, compelling us to Go A Little Farther AND Read More