Tag: faith
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Faith Doesn’t Mean Being Passive
One of the most misunderstood ideas in faith is the belief that trusting God means doing nothing—that faith requires shrinking yourself, silencing yourself, or enduring whatever circumstances you’re handed. For a long time, I believed that. I thought faith meant staying still no matter how uncomfortable things became. I told myself that if I asked…
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Navigating Christmas When Joy Feels Distant
I walked into church on Sunday, and one of the greeters asked me, “Are you ready for Christmas?” I paused. Ready? Not really. I told them I had mixed feelings. Because this year, Christmas doesn’t feel simple, joyful, or easy. The truth is, I lost the life I had in Texas. I’m living with family,…
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Not Yet: Embracing the Middle Space
There’s a quiet ache that comes with being in-between — not who you once were, not exactly where you want to be, and not yet who you’re becoming and not yet where you hope to arrive. It’s that space where you’ve outgrown old versions of yourself, old patterns, even old relationships… but the new version…
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The Summer I Learned the Power of Silence
Last weekend, I went for a hike by myself. My daughter had planned to come along, but when she couldn’t get up that morning, I decided to go anyway. It turned out to be exactly what I needed. With no conversation to fill the air, I was able to hear from God in a way…
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Running on Empty: Refueling Spiritually
When life runs dry, grace still flows. These past few weeks, I’ve felt like I’ve been running on fumes. Between trying to fix my car, caring for my elderly dog, working as a contract writer, staying on top of my health, and navigating a court situation with my child’s father—I’ve been stretched thin. Spiritually. Emotionally.…
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Emotional intelligence for effective ministry and leadership
I’d heard of “church hurt,” but I had never personally experienced it until some time ago. If you’ve never heard the term “church hurt,” it’s a term that is often used to refer to pain caused by religious institutions. Whether church hurt Is intentional or not, the wound still hurts. For months, I was in…
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Giving it to God: Letting Go When it Hurts
The last month has been kind of crazy. This week I turned 30 years old. I also found myself signing papers for a new home on my birthday instead of celebrating my birthday in Hawaii as I’d initially planned. My mom loves to say, “God has a reason for allowing things to happen.” We’re…
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Raising a wise child
When I became a mother, I thought it would always be my role to help my daughter navigate through life. But lately, I’ve been thinking a whole lot about how children can come to us with such honesty, sincerity and natural wisdom … and how as adults, we can miss it, because we get so…
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I’m teaching my child to have a voice while getting mine back
No one would have ever guessed that I would grow up to pursue a career in journalism because for a long time I did not speak. But journalism helped me find my voice, and so did Ali (my now eight-year-old). I knew that if I chose to stay silent, it would be dangerous for me…
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I’m a Single Mom – Please don’t wish me a Happy Father’s Day
This Father’s Day, my little one drew pictures for her grandpa (my dad) and wrote a lot of knock-knock jokes for him to read when he opened up the card we mailed him. But, yesterday while we walked around the store and passed the Father’s Day gifts section, she said, “You’re lucky, mom.” It’s been…
Mommy Finger, Baby Finger 