Will God love my baby?
The subject line caught my attention. I opened the email to find a young woman pleading for advice. Lily* told me she became pregnant while engaged. The fear she felt seemed to seep through every word of her story. Why was she afraid? It seemed everyone around her was telling her the same message: God would […]
On loneliness and love
I rushed home after work to exercise before it was time to cook dinner. On my walk, I talked to a friend and the conversation shifted to loneliness and how it feels when friends and lists are not filling up our time, leaving us ragged. It seems everyone is too busy, too tired, too maxed out-but […]
A Dad who Runs | Perspective on God’s Character
She is screaming and stomping her little tanned feet. “Daddy, daddy, dadddyyy!” She hollers and waves her arms perched on the edge of the sandy boardwalk. I determine she’s about four or five. Her dad is the one with the terrible sunburn, in the blue shorts. I know because I’ve noticed him come down to […]
Daddy Issues
“She must have daddy issues,” she said after learning Joanna had a new boyfriend. We continued walking-talking about our latest ‘author crushes’, jobs, and newfound ways to add spinach into our diets. But my mind stayed on Joanna and her ‘daddy issues’. Unfortunately, her new guy was just as terrible as the five before. I […]
Is God Enough?
Have you ever felt like God just wasn’t enough? That His presence couldn’t solve your problems, nor assuage your deepest fears? I received an email from a reader and, with her permission, here is a portion of her question: “You mentioned in a few of your posts that you have seen a counselor. Given your […]
Book Giveaway! | The Circle Maker
I’m a terrible pray-er. I get distracted; I can’t sit still. I find myself often praying in vague terms and in a formulaic manner, with lots of “if it’s your will”s. I know that prayer is just talking to God, but I think I stopped praying from my heart and truly asking for my greatest […]
Was God Rolling His Eyes at Me?
“How dare you call yourself a missionary. You’re disgraceful,” she said and slammed the door. My eyes brimmed with tears. In the heat of the moment, I had said some terrible things I didn’t mean. As soon as my rampage was over, I felt an enormous flood of guilt. What is wrong with me? What […]
God Doesn’t Want You to Fake It
I’m good at faking it. I used to sit in groups of women laughing and discussing life—like I too, didn’t have any more to worry about than the latest breakup stories or how to shop organic on a budget. I was funny, charming, confident, engaging—everything I was ‘supposed’ to be. My greatest fear sitting in […]