Sometimes you stand in a room full of women with their hands raised in worship and you know that you’re on holy, beautiful ground. The lights twinkle and the hairs on your arms stand up as your heart keeps time to the music and the words you’re singing are your holy hallelujah after a very […]
For this mom, afraid of messing up her daughter, Teri Lynne Underwood’s new book is a lifeline. Each prayer, each activity, each new way of seeing my girl with Jesus’ eyes filled me with gratitude and a hearty amen for this book! I’m so glad to welcome Teri Lynne to the blog today. “Is this […]
Because I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want friends. But I know lots of women who worry about being unfriended. Or misunderstood. Or hurt or judged or left out or taken for granted by their friends. I’m one of them. So they stop trying. They stop risking. They stop starting over. Because they’ve stopped believing […]
I haven’t been home in 2 and a half years. My dad turns 70 this month. And so our family will make the trek from Baltimore to Johannesburg via Detroit and Amsterdam. To be back with these people. These people who were my first home. We’re ordering gifts and getting new suitcases and planning all […]
It’s finally here! The first week of the Never Unfriended Sweatpants Bookclub and we couldn’t be more excited!! We so hope you’re already signed up to join us. If not, it’s never too late — just click over here to jump in! Since this is week one, we figured you might need some notes on how […]
Oh you guys we have the BEST way to start your new week! With FREE GIFTS!! Every person who pre-orders a copy of Never Unfriended before April 4th gets a goodie bag of some fabulous gifts!! 1. A beautiful, distressed clipboard with 37 art prints PLUS 12 exclusive Never Unfriended quotes from the book (ships to […]
In a world where women can unfriend each other with the swipe of a finger, how do we find friendships that we can trust to last? Maybe by first becoming those kinds of lasting friends ourselves. So instead of rushing into friendship with a backpack full of sky high expectations, it’s worth taking the time […]
I have spent thousands of hours of my life held hostage by worry about friendships with women. I have over-analyzed, ranted, and kept my husband awake as I rehashed interactions with women I care about—mining our conversations for minute details and trying to make sense of who was wrong and whether or not I needed […]
There are Christmas tree ornaments scattered across the carpet, hither and yon. The tree has long since dried up. It has shed a layer of crunchy prickles everywhere. But I haven’t stripped it of its decorations yet. Instead, right when I should have been starting dinner yesterday, I cleaned out the pantry. That took over […]
There are three, maybe four writers, I would consider both some of my favorite people as well as my favorite writers. Hilary Yancey is one of them. Her son Jackson just turned one. And this is their story. I spent a year and 20 days grieving an empty five minutes. They were the first minutes […]
I’ve been the community manager at the website (in)courage for six years now. That means six years of working with and for and alongside women. Writing about women, reading about women, talking to women, being in small groups of women and large groups of women. I don’t think I could possibly overstate how much I love women. […]
Last year was only the second time I cooked a Thanksgiving turkey and put together a family advent countdown calendar. The SECOND TIME EVER IN NEARLY A DECADE OF PARENTING. Because that’s how long I’ve been sleep deprived. Dear Moms of Littles, listen up here because this is for you — I know this time […]
My friend, Jennifer Camp is a Jesus follower who loves pointing women to Him for all their needs, ugly and messy and amazing. Her new book, Breathing Eden: Conversations with God on Light, Fresh Air, and New Things, is a fictional look at the real life struggles we all face every day and how God hears and responds to our […]
I’ve always worked full time. Sometimes outside of the home and more recently from home. Some seasons have been easier than others. Some have been very, very hard. One of my most read posts on this blog is the one I wrote called, Grace For the Working Mother and Her Guilt. I know a lot […]
I’ve learned to like bagels with just cream cheese. Toasted bagels with plain cream cheese. I realize that this morning as I’m making coffee and toasting my bagels. “I’m so American,” I think. My South African dad loved his cream cheese on toast with a big helping of strawberry jam on top. Delicious. A memory […]