Posts in life & growth

ARTICLE: Propel Women – “Obedience Wins the Race”

Blog hardships life & growth Press

When you think about your life and the race you are running—what’s a win for you? Some might define a win as raising kids that excel at a prestigious university, writing a book that reaches bestseller status, speaking at an arena packed with people, or having a massive social media following. But what happens if the kids drop out of college, or if the book only sells five copies? What if only that one awkward person shows up to your event or you struggle to get 300 followers on Instagram?… Read More

BLOG: Why I Don’t Celebrate Halloween

Blog life & growth social issues 2 Comments

Let me start off by being really honest.  I didn’t want to write this, much less actually post it.  This is generally not a topic I care to discuss in a public setting at all in any amount ever.  There’s far too many opinions, judgements and arguments over this topic and frankly, I think there are more important matters to spend my mental energy on.  Although I’m pretty passionate about my own convictions on the matter for me and my family and I’m not afraid to share those thoughts in… Read More

ARTICLE: Propel Women – “Enduring is not Enduring”

Blog hardships life & growth Press

In endurance sports, the primary obstacle to overcome is your own pain and exhaustion. Whether cycling, running, or swimming, the goal is to cross the finish line still breathing. Endurance is a virtuous trait, both in sports and in life. Matthew 24:13 states that “the one who endures to the end will be saved.” When it comes to endurance, simply not quitting is an accomplishment. So there’s nothing wrong with asking God to give us the strength to endure. It’s a Godly prayer and God is faithful to provide when… Read More

BLOG: Your Praise is your Identity

Blog life & growth social issues

The last couple of decades, we have seen an influx in conversations about understanding our identity and our worth in Christ.  There are probably hundreds of resources that go into scriptural truths about who you are and whose you are – and knowing these truths is essential.  But today, I’d like to present a new perspective on how you get to the point that you no longer just know “who you are and whose you are” but that you actually walk in that identity with confidence. Let’s start at the… Read More

BLOG: Sound Mind, Self-Controlled & Sober in Prayer

Blog life & growth social issues

In the past several weeks, Robert and I have implemented a more formal Bible study in our homes before bedtime.  Although our children are only 3, 6 and 10, our mentors challenged us to not only carry them along with us as we do ministry, but also to place in them an understanding for the things of God in their lives as well – or as Gary Thomas points out in his book, “Sacred Marriage”- to not only create our children biologically but to also partner with God in creating… Read More

BLOG: Your Mental Illness is Not OK

Blog hardships life & growth social issues

Like most, I am often caught in between two worlds.  There’s the world in which we live that readily accepts any popular theology that gives immediate – albeit temporary – relief.  And then there’s the hidden spiritual world where a greater understanding of biblical truths can bring actual freedom.  Unfortunately, the spiritual world is often so quickly dismissed – even by popular church culture – that God’s children never actually get to experience the freedom they have in Christ. I have come to learn that there is no way to… Read More

BLOG: People are Humans and Humans are Flawed

Blog life & growth social issues

The more life I live, the more I come to a fuller understanding of how “human” people are.  It doesn’t matter how old someone is, how genuinely they love Jesus or how much they should’ve known better – people are still human and humans are flawed.  They always have been and they always will be. Coming to this understanding has caused me to look at human failure with significantly less judgment and exponentially more grace.  Because the truth is, we will all fail somehow at some point simply because we… Read More

BLOG: Ending the Racial Divide

Blog leadership life & growth social issues

With the news of George Floyd circulating the internet, there has finally been the low rumblings of outrage rising – not from the black community – but from the white community, particularly from influencers.  And I think that’s massive.  The more I analyze what role I play in all of this – as a “white” girl (technically half white and half asian, but I definitely look white enough to experience a life of white privilege) – the more I become passionate about what steps the white community needs to take… Read More

BLOG: Move Forward Anyway

Blog hardships life & growth

As I sat in front of my Bible today, I prayed about whether I was doing too much – or too little – during this coronavirus season. So far this season, I’ve taken advantage of the extra time to catch-up on a lot of things: being more intentional with my kids, completing work tasks, home improvement jobs, finding unique ways to reach out to neighbors, fostering community with several different pockets of people in my world. But lately it seems that I’ve seen a lot of posts, texts and comments… Read More

BLOG: The Cost of Success

Blog leadership life & growth

This first week of 2018 has proven to be bursting with possibilities. How it will all pan out is still be determined, but it has presented Robert and I with valuable reflective conversation – primarily about the cost of “success.” There’s a verse that asks what it profits a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul. When we think about “losing our soul”, most people immediately take it to mean a spiritual death or a loss of a moral compass or ethics (kind of like “selling your… Read More