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
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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
Connecting Our Emotions to the Heart of God
Happy Christmas season, friends! I know you're in the thick of things, and I am too. Still, I want to invite you to spend 14 minutes with me as I interview my friends Beth Griffiths and Karen McNary about the trip that they took with The Repentance Project. I was teary from almost the beginning of this interview, and there are several powerful … [Read more...] about Connecting Our Emotions to the Heart of God
How to Defy the Dreadful Danger of Dulling
The emotional dam finally broke, and I let my tears flow. It was long past time. Day after day I'd read a Lenten devotional that should have broken my heart. Though I felt pangs of sorrow, there was no breakthrough. No lament. Certainly American racism is a reason to weep, but I've been immersed in it my entire life. I've grown dull to it … [Read more...] about How to Defy the Dreadful Danger of Dulling
Is God Really Jealous?
In high school, I was jealous when the guy I liked decided that he preferred my best friend. [Sad confession alert...] As an adult woman, I've been jealous when a friend spent more time with another friend than with me. Jealousy has been personified as the "Green-Eyed Monster," and it's a really icky emotion when a human experiences it. Its root … [Read more...] about Is God Really Jealous?
The Things that Make God Angry
Since I was a little girl, I've been uncomfortable with negative emotions. Don't get me wrong, I've expressed plenty of negative emotions-- tantrums, meltdowns, down days that I wanted to stay in bed-- but they've always felt bad or wrong. For example, I would shut out God if I couldn't bring my sunny self. I'm gaining a healthier view, but for a … [Read more...] about The Things that Make God Angry
Complete Joy
Today, surrounded by warm sunshine, towering palms, and blue water, I feel a rush of joy that seems like it will last forever. Moments later, my mood is interrupted by a frisson of anxiety over my son's interview, and less than a half an hour more finds me wrestling with confusion over what to write here. Our days are like that, aren't they? … [Read more...] about Complete Joy
Immeasurable Love
May 25th was the day we all waited for, counting down the months and then the days. The time seemed immeasurable, unbearable even, but the date finally arrived. Wedding day! The previous October, my youngest son, Nolan, and his beloved, Madison, got engaged, and everyone was thrilled. Nolan and Madison had dated for almost 2 years, and both … [Read more...] about Immeasurable Love
