Back in April, I posted this on a private social media feed: “Y’all, I saw 1 post that sent me on a 2 hour research of articles and speeches. Did you know that colleges/universities in this country use to be tuition free (only charged a low registration fee) until the 1960s. Stanford didn’t charge any... Continue Reading →
The Patterns of Spiritual Abuse
I recently watched the newly released documentary on Discovery+, “Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed,” and also binge listened to several hours of “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” podcast. Both of these hit soooo close to home. It was as if they read my journals about the things I experienced for 8 years, and there... Continue Reading →
Results of Embracing Fear: Solo Travel
A few months ago I brought in my 35th birthday on my first solo international trip! Going solo wasn’t my original plan, but I asked over 10 people and things just weren’t working out, so I went ahead & booked the trip. Some people were nervous & wondering how I got to this point. (My... Continue Reading →
“Friends” & “Followers”: Balance in the Exposure
Were we humans created to be exposed to so much? For centuries, we could only really stay in constant communication with approximately 50-150 people, depending on our roles in society. We had our household members, classmates, coworkers, the people in our places of worship, extended family members, and neighbors. If someone moved away, we bid... Continue Reading →
Hidden No More
Each year for the last 8 years, I’ve prayed about and had a word or phrase for the upcoming year. It’s usually not until the end of that next year, that the word(s) make sense. So, when I felt like the phrase for 2020 was “hidden no more,” I was excited and nervous, not knowing... Continue Reading →
Courage to Hope
https://youtu.be/diNpnXE7k-A We can courageously hope in a faithful God who keeps his promises. It takes courage to hope in the midst of despair, or when we don’t see change happening. But like the persistent widow, we can plead our case to a God who hears our cries, and will liberate us. It may not be... Continue Reading →
Suffering and Scars
https://youtu.be/FkwFHkrWUo4 God’s presence in the midst of suffering gives us hope in days to come. What we see is someone’s journey is not always the full story, and even the seemingly unscathed life is filled with scars. When we don’t have answers for why pain occurs in our lives or in the lives of our... Continue Reading →
Hope
As written for the Life in Practice Blog. When we think about hope, it can feel like this intangible figment of our imagination that is sometimes hard to grasp. Where does hope come from, and what’s the point of hoping when things look so bleak and unchanging? The dictionary defines hope as “a feeling of... Continue Reading →
Hopes Fulfilled
To say the theme for my year has been “Hopes Fulfilled” is an understatement. In 2018 alone, sooo many things I’ve prayed for (some for days, some for months, and some for 10+ years) happened. I had a woe is me moment on 2 things I’ve been praying about for years, then I was gently... Continue Reading →
The Sun Still Shines
This morning I walked into my living room & was surprised by how dark it was. Usually by this time, the sun is shining through the windows. I looked outside at the rain and clouds (which are beautiful), and was instantly reminded that the sun is still shining. Just because I couldn’t see it or... Continue Reading →