The Paris Olympics' mockery of Leonardo's Last Supper scorned billions of believers and the foundations of Western Civilization — but it also exposed the desperation of forces bent on erasing our history.
Read moreJordan Peterson's We Who Wrestle With God Tour was riveting — a journey into the depths of intellect and faith that demands keen listening and rewards attentive reflection.
Read moreAfter losing my mom to cancer and my brother to suicide, my dad's death surprised me with something unfamiliar: uncomplicated grief — in many ways, sweet.
Read moreA complicated birth, dark intrusive thoughts, and the absence of my mom hurled me into a postpartum furnace — but like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, I was not alone in the fire.
Read moreParenthood is paradox from the beginning — miraculous and grueling. When postpartum illness strikes, story and shared suffering become our most powerful antidotes.
Read moreMotherless mothering is its own wilderness. Without my mom's roadmap, I've had to define motherhood for myself — and teach my children about a grandmother they'll never know.
Read moreKara Tippetts dared to call breast cancer a 'great story' — and in doing so, she flew in the face of every fear I've harbored since my mom's death.
Read moreA vivid dream of a lion, a psalm about protection, and a song called 'You Are, I Am' — God was speaking, even when I thought he wasn't listening.
Read moreThe holidays after a suicide are a bitter cocktail of grief and expectation. Acting as if nothing happened doesn't help — but showing up does.
Read moreLosing my mom as a teenager gave me coping skills I never expected to need again — until my brother took his life.
Read moreMy brother was my protector, my surrogate mom, my best friend. In his dying words, he entrusted me with the story of his broken heart.
Read moreMy brother lost himself in a marriage that defined him, and the lies of worthlessness overwhelmed a man who never stopped extending grace.
Read moreThe guilt that stalks after a loved one's suicide is relentless — but in the space between sadness and hope, I'm learning to let light return.
Read moreI knew the question was coming, but not this soon. At bedtime my 4-year-old asked where my mommy was — and gave me a glimpse into the profound depth of his little soul.
Read moreThe Boston Marathon bombing carried me back to 9/11 and the fear that followed. Christ died to free us from fear — and in an increasingly terrifying world, faith is the only promise of sanity.
Read moreHearing the story of a young mother dying from breast cancer stirred my deepest fear: that my motherless history could repeat itself, and my babies would navigate this world without me.
Read moreI was unqualified for motherhood — a motherless overachiever with more trust in her resume than in God. But he continually chooses the most unqualified to bear his glory.
Read moreAt the Writing for the Soul conference, I was reminded that before I can create anything, I must first acknowledge that I too was created — and that the time to write is now.
Read moreGeneration X children of divorce carry a broken leading edge — spiritual stories shaped by loss. But God can take a generation's fractured faith and turn it into something glorious.
Read moreMy parents' divorce didn't just split a household — it snuffed out part of my existence. Thirty years later, I'm still untangling what it means to have your being divided between two worlds.
Read moreMotherhood has a way of magnifying every inadequacy. I'm learning to celebrate the gifts God gave me instead of drowning in guilt over the woman I'm not.
Read moreClimbing Pikes Peak taught me something about growing up motherless: it's harder to breathe in rarefied air, but the thin atmosphere makes it easier to hear God's voice.
Read moreA childhood autograph book revealed my mother's unwavering faith — a faith forged through abuse, abandonment, and loss that she passed to me like a torch before she died.
Read moreMothering two young children has dulled my once-sharp mind and stalled my writing career. But chasing perfection is the real enemy — and God is bigger than the zombie zone of early motherhood.
Read moreWe chase balance like a unicorn we'll never catch. What new mothers really need is rhythm — a grace-filled way of moving through each unbalanced season of life.
Read moreA hospital tour sent me spiraling back to my son's traumatic birth. As my daughter's arrival nears, I'm learning that the path requiring the most faith is exactly where God wants me.
Read moreWriting is how I make sense of the world, and the pain of my son's traumatic birth is what set me on a new path — using journalism to honor God and help other women through motherhood's hardest seasons.
Read moreMy son's birth left my body broken and my mind reeling with post-traumatic thoughts. As I approach my daughter's delivery, I'm learning to hand my deepest fears to the only One who can wrestle them to the ground.
Read moreBest-selling author Jerry Jenkins reminded our writing group that a good book idea can ripen with age, that family comes first, and that great writers never stop learning.
Read moreThe identity shift from career woman to new mother felt like a door slamming shut on my old life. It took time — and faith — to discover that where I was didn't have to define who I am.
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