There are all kinds of things that make us feel unlovable. They can be a small as a pimple mixed with our wrinkles, a spat with your spouse, or a tech glitch that makes you feel like the dummy they write those books about. Or we can feel unlovable for truly traumatic reasons like a besmiched past, being shamed by those who should have loved us, … [Read more...] about How to Fight Feeling Unlovable
Blog
Speaking Up
I've been so absent here, and please know that it's not escaping my attention. I have lots of good reasons but no good excuses so I'll spare you. :) Even though I haven't been writing here much, God has definitely been opening doors for me to live the message I've been sharing here: Listen --> Feel --> Do--> Speak In particular, … [Read more...] about Speaking Up
30 Days Toward Unity and Love
Hi, friends! With both excitement and trembling, I have an announcement. Because of the prompting of God in the dire times we're living through, I'm going to take a blogging break to actually live out the "speak" step that I've been working toward. If the description tugs at your heart, I'd love for you to join me in a private Facebook group. … [Read more...] about 30 Days Toward Unity and Love
Leaving Self-Protective Silence Behind
Alright... here we go gang. I'm officially breaking my self-protective silence. Today, we're diving headfirst into the last step of our process to develop a tender heart and a strong voice. Listen --> Feel --> Do --> Speak (Remember that process? If you need a review you can reread "God's Path to Tender Hearts and Strong … [Read more...] about Leaving Self-Protective Silence Behind
A Prayer for Seasoned Saints
Oh my. I was so moved last week by your comments and prayer requests, and I've gone through them all again today, praying for those you love. I was also touched by how tenderly Isabel responded. She's a rock star, and y'all should know that she's printed a copy of each request so that she and her team would make sure to pray for each one. Thank … [Read more...] about A Prayer for Seasoned Saints
Use Your Voice to Love
Today, I'm giving you a little interlude so that you can hear a new voice on the blog. I connected with Isabel Tom months ago right before the release of her new book, The Value of Wrinkles. I was so taken with her message that advocates for the older generation that I promised her a spot on the blog. She has a tender heart for the elderly and a … [Read more...] about Use Your Voice to Love
The Power of Downsized Expectations
Reminder: If you've read Exhale, Cheri and I would be so honored by your Amazon review! Will you help us reach our goal of 100+ reviews by the end of April? If our goal of 100+ is reached, we're randomly choosing four reviewers to receive a $25 Amazon gift card. (Don't tell anybody, but I hope YOU win! ;)) After months of researching to find the … [Read more...] about The Power of Downsized Expectations
How to Overcome the Obstacle of Not Knowing
Weeks ago, I began a series about taking action to make a difference, and then COVID-19 happened. I felt derailed as we all grappled with the resulting emotions and changes in life. But I'm getting my groove back in the midst of a new normal, and I'm ready to dive back in. Even I'd forgotten where I left off, so here are the links for the posts … [Read more...] about How to Overcome the Obstacle of Not Knowing
Five Minutes from My Heart
In the midst of the crisis around us, I've found myself lacking the brain-space or energy to blog like I usually do, but today I sat down to talk to you heart-to-heart for five minutes. It's not scripted. It's not polished. I didn't do preparation (except in my head) or notes. I simply spoke what I feel for you and what I'd love for us … [Read more...] about Five Minutes from My Heart
How Feeling Leads to Doing
Sometimes life just takes over, and this week has been like that, so I'll come back to story-telling about how God led me in my "doing" in a few weeks. In the meantime, I wanted to give you some fabulous inspiration to keep us rolling. This week, I want to re-introduce you to my friends Karen and Beth, two women who moved from feeling to … [Read more...] about How Feeling Leads to Doing
The Big Value of Little Steps
As a reforming perfectionist, I'm all about a grand gesture. I don't want to clean one room of my house. I want the whole house clean. I don't want to play tennis. I want to win a match. I don't want teach school. I want to be teacher of the year. I don't want to weed a flower bed. I want the whole yard landscaped. Sometimes enormous visions … [Read more...] about The Big Value of Little Steps
When It’s Time to Take Action
I sat on the plane heading home while musing over the events from my second trip to India. As with everything in India, the country where half my heart lives, it was a lot. Processing would take some time. While I was in Calcutta and Siliguri, I listened and heard the stories from: A woman beaten by her husband for coming to our Christian … [Read more...] about When It’s Time to Take Action
A Prayer for Biblical Boundaries
As I wrote in today's devotion, "When I Have Zero Time to Spare," creating biblical boundaries that protect our mission can be hard. Downright painful in fact. Like you, I wish I could expand the 24 hour day so that I could do more. "Time for just one more thing, please!" is a prayer that I've uttered over and over. But there's a … [Read more...] about A Prayer for Biblical Boundaries
What It Takes to Amaze God
God's amazement isn't based on our performance. Amazing good news, right? As I said in my devotion, "How to Amaze Jesus," our state of being is what amazes God, not our state of doing. The inner characteristics of humility, selflessness, and faith are what God delights to see in us, but how do we attain these simple but hard-to-develop … [Read more...] about What It Takes to Amaze God
For Those Who Are Waiting
The countdown is on... only 6 days until Christmas! Since I'm still childlike, the wait seems long. I can only imagine what it felt like for the Israelites. The wait for the Messiah much have seemed endless, but the promises they were given are for us today. No waiting required! What an amazing miracle. As I've been studying Isaiah through the … [Read more...] about For Those Who Are Waiting
