What We Mean When We Say Family We use the phrase church family so easily, and I have used it myself more times than I can count. But I have been asking lately whether we truly live as though it means what we say it means. Because family does not disappear when it becomes inconvenient. It does not quietly withdraw when someone is no longer in the same season or no longer easy to be around. In a real family, distance does not erase love, and disagreement does not cancel care. And this is true not only within the church walls but inside our own homes. There are families with prodigals, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, spouses, who are alive but far, breathing but distant, once close but now gone in ways that have nothing to do with miles. Some of them walked away from faith altogether. Some never had it. And the temptation, after enough silence or enough rejection, is to quietly let go, to protect yourself, to stop reaching. But our side of it does not change based on their r...
Posts
Do the Next Thing As I wrapped up Easter promos for a couple of churches last week, this part of an old Saxon poem came to mind - the one Elisabeth Elliot made famous: "Do the next thing." She didn't mean being busy for the sake of busy. She meant faithfulness. Trust Christ and do the good work in front of you. Active faith, not passive waiting. Just like Psalm 37 teaches. Scripture reminds us: "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 Elisabeth Elliot learned those words from an old Saxon poem found scratched on a wall. Do the next thing. Not the grand thing. Not the perfect thing. Just the next one. She lived that out in some of the hardest circumstances a person can face and came out the other side not bitter but faithful. Because faithfulness isn't a feeling. It's a decision you make before the feeling ever shows up. Nobody feels faithful every day. That's actua...
.jpg)
More Room for What Matters Spring cleaning. Decluttering. Minimalism. Call it what you want, but what if God is using all of it to teach us something far deeper than a tidy closet? My friends, This morning I stepped outside with my iced coffee (yes, iced!), because it is already warm and glorious here in Mississippi and I am not sorry. The sun was doing that beautiful thing it does in (almost) spring, the kind of warmth that feels like a exhale after winter. My cat Moe was right there with me, completely unbothered with life... until a squirrel strutted across the fence like he owned the property, and Moe absolutely lost his mind. I laughed out loud, just me, my coffee, and this silly cat. And then, the birds. They were back. I had my app open, identifying them one by one. A Carolina Wren. A mockingbird. A flash of a goldfinch. And something in my chest just settled. That quiet, full-hearted joy that only comes when you notice that life is returning. That new things a...
The Grief No One Prepares You For My Friends, There is a kind of grief that has no funeral. No casserole dropped at your door. No cards in the mail. No one dressed in black, sitting beside you in silence. It is the grief of watching someone you love become someone you no longer recognize. Maybe it's the friend who chose bitterness over healing and now lives in a permanent state of offense. Maybe it's the family member whose heart has grown so hard that kindness bounces off like rain on concrete. Maybe it's the person you prayed with, laughed with, dreamed with, who is still breathing, still posting online, still living their life, but is no longer here in any way that matters. They didn't die. But you lost them anyway. And the world expects you to act like nothing happened. This week, I sat with a dear friend who is walking through this kind of grief. As she shared her story, my heart ached for her. Not because of obvious tragedy, but because of the slow, quiet ...
Words Spoken in Secret My Friends This past week, I had phone conversations with two incredible women who are suffering deeply. As they shared their stories, my heart was heavy. It was not because of obvious enemies or public conflict, but because of quiet conversations, whispered words, and gossip that slowly caused real harm. It reminded me how easily our flesh is drawn toward what is sinful. Gossip often feels “harmless,” even caring at first, but it enters the mind like poison. Quietly, without us realizing it, it reshapes our hearts, our words, and even the way we see and treat others. God’s Word is loving, but very clear. “Do not be deceived: bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthians 15:33) Gossip is not entertainment. It is spiritual decay. It fuels suspicion, stirs division, provokes arguments, and spreads slander. Scripture also warns us about those who thrive on controversy, even wrapping it in religious language for attention or gain. “If anyone teaches fa...
All Glory to the Lord For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36 Oh my friends. All glory to the Lord always and forever. No matter where you are today on your journey, whether you are on a mountaintop season, deep in a valley, or in one of the hardest places of all, the waiting season, this truth is steady and sure. The Lord our God has not left you. He has not forgotten you. He has not turned His face away. God is close to the brokenhearted. I know how heavy grief, loss, or disappointment can feel. The quiet moments, the questions that have no answers, the ache in your heart, it can feel like you are alone. But even in sorrow God is near. He carries your heart when it feels too heavy and He holds you close The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Psalm 34:18 God’s plans are greater than we can imagine. Friends, His heart toward you is...
The Sound of Faith: How Our Words Reflect the Heart of God As women who love the Lord, we know that our homes, our ministries, and even our writing desks often sit on the front lines of spiritual battle. There are weeks when everything feels squeezed. Budgets are tight. Children are weary. Prayer requests feel heavier than usual. We carry concerns not only for our own households, but for sisters in Christ walking through quiet suffering. In those moments, our words matter far more than we often realize. As I was preparing supper, I felt the need to pause and put these thoughts into words. There is a particular kind of faith that does not remain quietly tucked away in the heart. Biblical faith overflows. It finds its way to the lips. When our mouths are governed by the Word of God, we do not merely talk. Our words shape the atmosphere of every space we step into, for good or for harm. Scripture is remarkably clear about the stewardship of our speech. “Death and life are in the ...