More than Unbroken

I am not perfect. Other Christians are not perfect. We make mistakes. We speak out of turn. We even (gasp) sin by gossiping, lying (even little white lies are still lies), and judging. I grew up in church and witnessed lots of spiritual people make mistakes. I saw Christians fall into sin. I even became ensnared by sin. That's because Christians are human.  Unfortunately, people who don't spend a lot of time in church often use the excuse to stay out of church because Christians are hypocrites. Well, to be honest, I can understand that position. If my knowledge of Christianity were limited to hearing about all the things you should and should not do, I would be skeptical when I watch followers of Jesus fail. Here's the catch: I'm not perfect. Jesus is.  He never sinned, nor deceived anyone. (I Peter 2:22) The worst thing you can do is follow my lead! Or any other Christian, for that matter. The best thing I can do is point you to the One who lived a sinless life. If you...

Have you been on one side of a tunnel wondering what to expect in the end? Metaphorically speaking, I have been through several tunnels in my life. Tunnels are often dark, narrow, and a little uneasy if you have a tendency to feel claustrophobic. In other words, they are not always comfortable. But when you come to the other side of a tunnel, you can look back on the unease and discomfort with the assurance that God was there all along. “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”   Deuteronomy‬ ‭31:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I don’t know about you, but I’m a list person. My day-to-day is comprised of tasks that need to be completed in order for me to feel successful at the end of the day. Simply put, I don’t handle surprises well. In the moment of crisis, I can adjust and rearrange plans. But I don’t usually like it, and am left feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. T...

Shame. It’s an ugly monster that eats away at our soul. I have dealt with tremendous shame in my life over past sins and failures. The crazy thing is, shame will sneak up when you least expect it. It comes in and whispers things like: "You don’t deserve the blessings you have.” “How can you be qualified to write about God with your past looming over you.” “Everyone knows what you really are, and you will never be effective for the Kingdom of God.” It’s a spiritual struggle, and it’s real in my life. But if we are being honest, I think most of us deal with guilt and shame on some level from time to time. So how do we deal with it? We embrace the grace. Grace is unmerited favor. It can’t be earned or rewarded. It’s just given because of unconditional love.  God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  ( Eph. 2:8)  Sometimes, it’s easier to believe that God will show us mercy and grace than other people. I know tha...

Have you ever heard the phrase "too good to be true"? Well, as a believer, I've seen too many things to know the truth and be confident based on what I've seen. This time of year, I tend to reflect on the goodness of God in my life. We are entering the holiday season, after all. Most people stop to give thanks for what they have and share with others. So it makes sense that I am pondering all of the good I have seen and just can't help but share with the world why I believe in a good God who always cares for us. I was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck, and I survived. Too good to not be God. When I was four years old, I hemorrhaged after a tonsillectomy. My parents feared for my life as they drove me to the hospital an hour away. I'm still here. Too good to not believe God had His hand on me. My baby sister fell at the age of one and split her head open. Other than needing a couple of stitches, she was and is fine. God was all over that. Afte...

Along with his day-job, my husband is a farmer. My family has been amused over the years as I have learned what it takes to be a farmer's wife. I had little interest in such things before we met. However, I knew one concept: you harvest what you plant. It would be silly to expect squash seeds to yield a crop of okra. The same is true of life. We will always reap a harvest. The crop is up to us. This can seem a bit daunting sometimes, but we are warned in the Bible to be mindful of every word and action. Someone is always watching, especially if you are a parent! I want my kids to see me live authentically unashamed. I want my actions to be worthy of them copying. Pastor Chuck used to say, "the grass is greener where you water it." I love this illustration. In a world of "right-now gratification," this is a gentle reminder that good things take work. Most people think, "if I can only ___________, my life will be better." This isn't the case at all. ...

This past week marked one year since I began putting my words out into the world.  I've thought a lot about my first year as a "writer."  It hasn't been the journey I expected, but it's been worth every step. One of our dearest family friends, also a writer, shared something so real with me when I was in the first few months of this new calling.  To paraphrase, she summarized the writing experience as putting out something as dear to you as a child to be examined by the whole world.  I now understand what she meant in those words.  Some weeks, it feels like I have such a divine revelation, and I am bursting at the seams to share God's word, only to be met with little or no feedback.  Other weeks, it seems like posts that are the least relevant get the most attention.  And every week, I learn something about the journey. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Over the last year, I have lear...

Have you ever been asleep when, all of a sudden, you felt like you were falling and jerked awake? Falling is scary. Sometimes it hurts. It can cause wounds and scars that forever mark us.  I’m an expert faller. It’s been a wonder to me that I haven’t fallen down the stairs at work because I spent several moments falling down the halls and stairs of my high school. Even as a teacher, I have fallen down on the ground. Sometimes, these stumbles happened in front of students. I usually laugh with them and hope that they forget about it.  They usually don't.  The thing is the more I try to keep myself from falling when it’s happening, the worse it is. My arms flail about as I try to maintain my balance and postpone the inevitable.  Eventually, I quit trying and fall anyway.  And it's usually much harder than if I hadn't tried to stop myself. So let’s talk about what we do when we fall in life. We are not infallible, which means we are all capable of falling from time...