Uncompromised

Rainy, cold day. It didn’t start this calm, running around making lunch for our son, getting everything ready for the day. But everyone walked out the door laughing and joyful, and that alone fills my heart. There is something about hearing those little bursts of happiness as my family heads off to their day, it reminds me that life is full of small, precious moments. If you know me, you know I am a planner. I love my days mapped out, hours marked, and goals lined up. I usually have a list of things to do and a plan for how to get it all done. But today, as the rain tapped softly against the windows, and the house settled into quiet, I felt the Lord nudging me to slow down. So I made a choice, no checking my art sales, my plans, or my classes. Today would be a calm, slow day. And oh, it is good, so good for the soul and for the body. The house is quiet, Moe has been extra sweet, curling up nearby, and it is warm inside. I have been savoring the simplicity of this moment, the comfort of...

  Solace: Words of Consolation On November 5, 2023, something very simple and very precious to my heart came into the world: Solace: Words of Consolation . It is not a big book. It is not fancy. It is a small booklet, a quiet gathering of black and white photographs I captured during one of the hardest seasons of my life, paired with the Scriptures that held me together. For several months, I was a full-time caregiver for my mom. Those were sacred, exhausting, tender days where love and grief lived side by side. And when she passed suddenly, the ground beneath me shifted in ways I still struggle to put into words. The verses in this booklet are Scriptures friends shared with me, prayed over me, and passages the Lord pressed gently into my heart. Solace began there, on the floor of my heart. Every page in this little booklet was prayed over. I put it together slowly, sometimes with tears, sometimes with deep breaths, and always with the reminder that the living Word of God was w...

Got our Advent devotional in the mail yesterday, year 12! Even as a teenager, our son got excited about it. There is something about opening that little package each year, the anticipation, the familiar cover, the feeling of starting something meaningful together. In the middle of all the beautiful lights, music, decorations, and the busyness of the season, this tradition gently reminds us to keep our hearts focused on Him, the true reason we celebrate. As I get older, I treasure these moments even more. The years go by so fast, and the quiet times with family, reading a passage together, talking about what it means, sharing our thoughts and prayers, become the memories that truly last. These moments shape our hearts and fill us with joy that no one can take. Philippians reminds us to rejoice in the Lord always, and Romans encourages us to trust in Him so that we overflow with hope and peace. Nehemiah tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength, and when we anchor our hearts in H...

Poking the Wound: When God Heals What Lies Beneath If you’ve known me for any length of time, you’ve probably heard me talk about “poking the wound.” Years ago, because of my autoimmune disease, I developed a wound on my left leg. It was tiny, just the size of a penny, but it would not heal. Because of immunosuppressants, my body stayed dormant, unresponsive to the injury. My husband took me to a wound doctor, and they taught us how to clean and care for it, but it wasn’t enough. My body wasn’t reacting. Then the doctor explained something I’ll never forget: the wound had to be poked. Unless it was stirred, my body would not recognize it as something that needed healing. So day after day, we poked it. At times it looked worse before it looked better, but it was the only way to stimulate the body’s God-designed response to heal. Eventually, it closed completely. That picture has become such a spiritual truth for me. Because as believers, we can live faithfully, attending church, studyin...

  “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12) “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.” (Matthew 15:18) Look around. It feels like a horror movie we cannot turn off. The news reads like satire, yet the satire is reality. The lie of “my truth” has taken root in hearts, and the coldness is shocking.  Tragedy becomes celebration, sin is worn as pride, and lives without Christ beat empty, hopeless, meaningless. And it is not only out there. In some churches, cold hearts have crept in. Smiles and polite words hide bitterness, envy, and pride. Words reveal the heart. Fruit reveals the tree. "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit" (Matthew 12:33). The urgency is real. There is no time for lukewarm hearts, complacent speech, or shallow faith. Every word, every action, every fruit matters. We cannot grow numb o...

  Start Here: Letting the Word Dwell Deeply in Real Life This morning I was meditating on Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” There’s so much beauty in that verse. It’s poetic, rich, full of community and worship and grace. And yet, when I read it, part of me also whispered, “Lord, I want this… but some days it feels so far from my reality.” Let’s be honest. We’re living in a time of constant noise and busyness. There’s always something to do, something to respond to. A constant moment of stopping and checking, “Am I forgetting anything?” Even when we want to sit down with the Word, our phones buzz, our minds wander, and our to-do lists scream louder than the pages in front of us. I’m not an anxious person, but I can be impatient. I like things to move, even if it’s slowly, I want to see growth, progress, directi...

This week has been a “catch-up” week for me. Our boy is out of town, and I’ve finally been tackling those theology exams. No more procrastinating. No more telling myself I don’t have time while giving in to every distraction. I’ve had to refocus and press on. I told myself I wouldn’t write this week… but here I am. Just once. Just this. With Father’s Day approaching, I keep watching all those sweet, emotional videos honoring dads. Little kids hugging their fathers. Grown men getting teary remembering theirs. Grandpas with grandbabies in their arms. And of course, all the dad jokes! So corny, yet somehow still funny. They get me every time. And they remind me just how crucial fathers are, not just in the lives of their children, but in their marriages, their homes, and the local church. Scripture makes it clear that fatherhood is a calling from God. "The righteous man walks in his integrity; blessed are his children after him!" Proverbs 20:7  "Just as a father has comp...

Pride: The Silent Sin the World Glorifies Hey sisters, Let’s talk about something that’s both personal and pervasive: pride . It’s all around us. Social media preaches “self-love,” culture screams “believe in yourself,” and nearly every commercial, graduation speech, and influencer post pushes the idea that you’re the center of your own universe. But behind all that glitter is a dangerous lie that pride is good. But God’s Word tells us the opposite: “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18; “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6; “For the day belonging to the LORD of Armies is coming against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up, it will be humbled.” Isaiah 2:12  These are not just warnings, they’re spiritual realities. Pride isn’t just a personality flaw. It’s sin. It’s rebellion against God’s rightful place as King. And it’s being celebrated by a...

Joy in Every Season: From Gentle Hills to the Desert Some seasons of life feel like a stroll through a sunlit path, soft hills, gentle breezes, laughter, and answered prayers. Your coffee is hot, the kids are getting along, your church family is kind, and you even had time to sit with your Bible without interruption. These seasons still come with the occasional bump, of course a flat tire or a frustrating day but overall, they’re light. You breathe easier. You smile more. And then there are the desert seasons. Those long stretches where prayers feel like they echo into silence. When you wake up already weary. When the things you used to enjoy feel heavy, and the joy you once had seems like a memory. There’s grief, uncertainty, disappointment, or even just a deep spiritual dryness that lingers longer than you expected. I’ve been talking with a few dear friends this week one facing a devastating diagnosis, another walking through deep, heartbreaking circumstances. I won’t lie some of...

As Mother’s Day approaches, many families are preparing to gather, sharing meals, laughing with loved ones, and honoring the women who’ve shaped their lives. Mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers. What a gift it is to see generations together. Truly, it’s a beautiful blessing from the Lord. But I also know this day can feel more like a wound than a celebration. Maybe you’re grieving a mother you lost, recently or long ago. I lost mine not too long ago. She passed just a week before Mother’s Day, and tomorrow marks two years. I’ll be honest: it still hurts. Some days catch me off guard. Grief doesn’t follow a tidy schedule. Maybe you’re mourning a child you never got to hold, or recovering from a miscarriage in silence. I’ve been there too. After a heartbreaking miscarriage, I truly wondered if I’d ever become a mother. Maybe your relationship with your children is broken, and you don’t know how to fix it. Maybe you’re single and longing for a family. Maybe you’re battling infertili...

  Dear Sisters,    I pray this note finds you resting in God’s presence, even in the middle of your busy days. I’ve been reflecting on something I would like to share with you, especially for those of you walking through difficult seasons. As we face trials, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but we’re reminded in James 1:2-5 that these moments aren’t wasted by God. The apostle James says: “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. Now if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:2-5) At first glance, it can feel impossible to consider joy in the middle of a trial. But James is reminding us that God uses those very trials to shape us. When life feels heavy, we can trus...

Good Friday: The Depth of His Love Sisters, Today is Good Friday, a day that brings a quiet weight to our hearts. It’s the kind of day that makes us slow down and sit still, even when our minds want to run ahead to Easter Sunday. But today is meant to be different. Set apart. A day to remember the cost. I woke up this morning thinking about the Cross, not in a theological way (though that matters deeply), but in a personal way. As a wife, a mom, a ministry partner, a woman trying to hold it all together most days, I needed to be reminded that Jesus carried more than just a wooden beam up that hill. He carried me. He carried you . He carried our brokenness, our shame, our guilt, our exhaustion, our tears cried behind closed doors. Every betrayal, every anxiety, every time we’ve felt unseen or misunderstood, He bore it all. Silently. Willingly. Lovingly. Isaiah 53:4 says, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” Not just the sin, but the grief. The sorrow . The heav...

When You Feel Like You're Not Enough Wow, it’s been exactly two months since my last post! Things have been pretty busy around here, but I’m excited to finally share an update with you all. I don’t know about you, but some days I feel like I’m constantly playing catch-up with laundry, with relationships, and yep, studies too. It’s like no matter how early I wake up or how much I cross off the to-do list, there’s still this lingering weight. The house is never quiet long enough to think, the inbox keeps filling up, and I forget (again) to defrost the meat for dinner. And then by mid-afternoon, I start to hear that subtle whisper: You’re not doing enough.  Maybe you’ve heard it too. Lately, I’ve been unpacking and trying to make our new house feel like home. It’s been nonstop boxes, tasks, and a scary health moment in between. Some days, I walk into the kitchen or living room and think, Okay, we’re getting somewhere. But then I step into our bedroom, and the boxes are still there. Ho...

I’m supposed to be non-stop packing, but here I am. As I pack, listening to music, this song came on, and I just had to share my heart. "Faithful Still" by KingsPorch.  I’ve loved this song since last year, so it’s been with me for a while. Every time I hear it, my heart is reminded of what I already know but sometimes forget: God is faithful. He has never failed, and He never will. How often do we find ourselves wondering, Will God really come through this time? Maybe it’s an unanswered prayer, a painful loss, or a season of waiting that feels like it will never end. Our hearts know He is faithful, yet our circumstances whisper otherwise. But here’s the truth: God’s faithfulness is not dependent on our feelings or circumstances, it is anchored in His unchanging character. When we face trials, it can feel like we’re standing in front of an immovable mountain. Maybe it’s a health crisis, financial hardship, or a broken relationship that seems beyond repair. But Jesus tells us...

Isn’t it absolutely awe-inspiring that while people often look at our outward appearance, our flaws, failures, or even the messiness of our lives, God sees our hearts? He doesn’t judge us by what the world values, but instead, He looks deeper, beyond the surface, and sees us for who we truly are. 1 Samuel 16:7 says: “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.’” This truth has been on my heart all week as I’ve talked with a few friends who are going through incredibly difficult seasons. They’ve been misjudged, hurt by others, or weighed down by the feeling that no one sees or truly understands them. It reminded me of times in my own life when I felt unseen or unfairly judged. Sometimes it’s hard to face situations like gossip, lies, or backstabbing, but these actions often reflect the condition of the person’s heart. Matthew 12:...

We’ve had a couple of snow days here in southeastern Oklahoma, and let me tell you, snow in the South is a whole different experience than what we were used to in Massachusetts! Every time it snows, I remind my husband: “Snow days in the South are the best snow days.” Here’s why: the snow comes just long enough to sprinkle some joy into our lives. It accumulates just enough to play in, snap some beautiful pictures, make snow cream, and soak in the peaceful stillness that only a blanket of white can bring. And then, poof! A couple of days later, it’s gone. No mushy, slushy, muddy mess sticking around for weeks, no grimy ice piles hanging on for dear life. We can just enjoy it for what it is and move on with our lives, snow-free and stress-free. This week, as I watched the snow, the hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” kept running through my mind:  "Morning by morning new mercies I see;  All I have needed Thy hand hath provided,  Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me." It’...

Fruit grows in the valleys Earlier today, a friend shared a post with a quote attributed to Billy Graham:  “Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys.”  The words immediately intrigued me, making me pause to meditate on their meaning. Out of curiosity, I decided to fact-check whether Billy Graham actually said this. It turns out, he did! This quote is featured in  Quotes from Billy Graham: A Legacy of Faith  and has been referenced by his grandson, Will Graham, in a devotional on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's website. This discovery made me reflect deeply on the profound truth captured in the quote. As I turned to Scripture, it became clear how much this idea resonates with biblical teachings. - Mountaintops: A Glimpse of God’s Glory Moses on Mount Sinai received the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19-20), a pivotal moment for Israel’s relationship with God. Elijah on Mount Carmel witnessed God’s power as fire consumed the a...