I’ve asked God the question a lot lately, “Why do I have to walk this season alone?” Please do not mistake me, I have had some amazing people come alongside me in the aftermath of my divorce.  But this is still a hard season. This is a lonely season –…

I heard these song lyrics the other day, and they struck a chord: “Been lookin’ for You in the still and safe But I feel You most in the wildest place.” (Rebels, Influence Music & Michael Ketterer) If you know me, you know I’ve always loved wild places — the…

“It feels like you’re just waiting.” It felt like an accusation, like there was something wrong with me.  It agitated me.  It angered me.  I wasn’t just waiting.  I was… But all the actions that I felt like I was doing would only prove to the speaker that I was just waiting.  I was waiting to…

On a recent hike, conversation slowly fell away, and what remained was silence. A big part of hiking is noticing. It’s early January. Snow still lingers from the New Year’s Eve storm, untouched in places; smooth and white, unbroken by footprints. Evergreen rhododendron leaves push through it, dark and glossy…

“Now this is what the Lord says— the one who created you, Jacob, and the one who formed you, Israel— “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and…

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:1-2) I was reminded of these verses and something I…

They say the way you spend your New Year’s is indicative to how your year will go. Last year on this day, I was alone in a rental cabin I had booked 2 hours away from home. I had called it a sabbatical – but it was really a last-ditch…

This has always driven me crazy: having fall and Christmas décor up at the same time. In previous years, I would have bent over backwards to get Christmas up and fall put away – dedicating an entire weekend to it, just to check the box off of my to-do list…