simply me and jeans

The idea of walking through a wilderness has been running around in my mind for about 4 years. Throughout my life, I’ve heard messages, songs and testimonies about people who prayed to be free of “wilderness experiences” and people who taught that we should do all we can to avoid them all together. The terms […]

It might have been 20 feet long and 10 feet wide but there’s really no way to know.  The eyes of a child see things larger than they usually are simply because everything is larger than they are. It wasn’t my favorite place to go growing up because I was the youngest, the only girl […]

My daughter sat with a look of wonder on her face as she watched the flames turn colors in the small bowl.  A torn-up check turned to ash in less than a minute. That minute was enough to make her say, “Anyone who thinks fire isn’t beautiful is crazy.” I could easily fall under her […]

A few days ago, one of my best friends said that I should write about this experience we’re all having with Covid-19. Her encouragement blessed me but my immediate reaction was, “I have nothing to say.”   I either write in my journal to process my emotions and what God is teaching me or I write […]

A new year can bring so many things.  Joy and pain. Loss and gain. Excitement and boredom.  It can also change us, our perspective and our expectations.  It can make our hearts harder or softer.  Gracious or judgmental.  Hopeful or hopeless. It can even bring life or death. It’s surprising to me, that I don’t […]

Correction and discipline aren’t fun but they are a necessity for becoming more like Jesus.  Feeling the stab of conviction while reading a passage of Scripture and recognizing how far I fall short of it may be painful for a moment, but it’s a beautiful sign of God’s love for us as His children. With […]

I forgot that it was my Daddy’s birthday last week. It was the first birthday without him and I didn’t call my Mom to check on her.  In fact, I only remembered because I went to see her that evening and she mentioned a call from her best friend because of it. That’s pretty bad! […]

There have been multiple times over the past few years when one of our kids has had to move back home for a short amount of time. I love the life that Steve and I have together but I also love being with my family and am inexplicably grateful that they know we’re here for […]

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 Over the last few […]

Melancholy is as certain in my life as breathing. Learning to trust that it won’t last forever and riding the wave with grace and faith instead of struggling against the feelings has been a lesson   that is a longtime coming. I’ve experienced years of God’s faithfulness to teach me and carry me through these melancholy […]