I am a sword-slinger. My weapon of choice is sarcasm. I like to swagger into a tense situation and slash through my opponent’s heart with a sharp word. After all, I am a writer. For years, I considered it my responsibility to fight for the tender-hearted underdog in my family. I was called to defend the helpless by bickering with a bully at our dinner table. Every conversation was an epic battle. I wanted to right a wrong, but my verbal sparring techniques only created more conflict and confusion. I wasn’t winning any wars or changing a thing. My superpowers were sorely lacking. I thought my relative needed to reform, but God wanted to refine me. The apocalyptic arguments at our family gatherings finally ended when I cried out to Christ and begged Him to fight this battle on Continue Reading
For the One Who Needs Hope in a Breaking Marriage
It wasn’t a pretty sight. A breaking marriage never is. Both of us sinking in despair, our commitment hanging in the balance, and our words threatening to slice the last thread tethering our once captivated hearts. Our vows spoken long ago with such certainty now convicted the stubborn, jagged corners of our spirits. “For better or for worse;” if there ever was a worse, this was it, and if we were ever at our worst, it was now. Darkness surrounded our marriage that day, hovering over the horizon of continual conflict, unbridled snapping and relentless blaming. Hearts hardened and closed always summon darkness. Somehow “for the sake of our children” didn’t make sense anymore. We were too different, too hurt, too convinced we both deserved better. How could we end up here after Continue Reading
When Choosing Authentic Means Choosing Brave – Made for Brave Sisterhood
Her eyes widened as she moved her chair closer to the table. The crowded coffee shop had not deterred her from being open and honest. Now, it was my turn. This young girl in her twenties tried to conceal her surprised expression. “I thought you wouldn’t understand, Karen. I imagined your childhood and life near perfect.” Oh, how wrong her sentiments. Truth is, we held much in common. We both experienced a troubling upbringing, one affecting our life as adults. When a parent abandons a child physically or emotionally, they leave behind a broken life and heart. As I opened up to my coffee-shop friend, pain from my past spilled out as tears. In the most vulnerable way, I conveyed how I spent part of my childhood with one parent absent and the other present, but just in the Continue Reading
For the One Who Needs Hope in the Dark Places
It has been such fun meeting each of you here for the Back to School Identity Series, and hopefully, we are well on our way to a great year, right alongside our kids, ready to take one more step toward our calling with both courage and hope as our trusted companions. If you're anything like me, simply knowing our calling isn't enough. Often we find ourselves having to make brave choices and travel some very difficult terrain in the process of living out our deepest desire. Hard, rocky and even dark places are never easy. But when we know what we've been called to in this life, we understand it will demand everything and no stone will be left unturned in the plowing of our soul. I'm honored to be guest writing over at Nicole Kauffman's lovely website today, where she has been running Continue Reading