The author of Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time for everything under the sun. “A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal… The self proclaimed “teacher” writes some of the most beautiful poetry in the Bible reminding us that the nature of the world is one of constant change. Our journey through life will lead us through pain and suffering but also to great joy. We are meant to experience all of life and we are meant to learn and grow through those experiences. This brings me to A Time to Heal. In our culture, I am sorry to ..read more

Broken relationships are a common theme in all of our lives. Whether you are the survivor of a broken marriage, a destroyed friendship, a severed family relationship, or tense partnership with a work colleague, you may find yourself in a place where you feel both disappointed in others and yourself. How do we navigate our way through the terrible emotional baggage that comes with broken relationships? In the beginning of a romance or friendship, we see the great potential for a meaningful connection, camaraderie, and the joy of affirmation. At the end, we are left with the bitter taste of dis ..read more

In moments of reflection, I sometimes pose a theoretical question to myself: If I could go back to the beginning of my married relationship, before we tied the knot, would I walk away from marrying my husband if I knew then what I know now? If I had married someone else would I now be living a vastly happier life? Considering the pain, betrayal, and hurt, would I choose differently if given the opportunity? The answer is always an unequivocal, “No!” My mind travels to the beautiful faces of my two sons, the battles I’ve survived and withstood, and the lessons I have learned in the process. I ..read more

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me” (1 Corinthians 13:1). There are days I wish I could go back to the simpler days of childhood when I didn’t have to make weighty decisions. Good or bad, my choices were made for me. I didn’t have to bear the responsibility of making a poor decision. There was a freedom in being dependent and a bit helpless. As I check the Head of Household box on my 1040 form, I know things have changed. I must provide for myself and others and my decisions ma ..read more

My parents were still active on the mission field when I started my freshman year of college. I remember our trip to the U.S that summer vividly. My parents helped me move into the dorm, hugged me, told me they loved me, and then they were out the door. I put on a brave face. The next day they were on a flight back to Japan, thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean. Before I went to college, I had never spent more than a week away from my parents. I was petrified and cried most of the night, but the next day I dried my eyes determined to make friends and make the best of my new situation ..read more

After my divorce, there was a time when I was raw. I wore every passion on my sleeve and my ability to filter and process emotions was faulty. The people around were not able to lift me up, but I allowed them to injure me daily. One misspoken word from a friend or colleague sent me into an emotional spiral that took days if not weeks to recover from. I swayed back and forth through a wide spectrum of emotions. One moment, I felt like an unmovable piece of granite, but the next minute I was triggered into tears by a insult from a friend, real or imagined. Beneath the surface was an ocean of de ..read more

As a kid, I loved the song Jack and Diane by John Mellencamp. The upbeat melody disguised what was truly a melancholy ballad. Somewhere along the road of mid-life, I heard the tune on my car radio and actually paid attention to the lyrics. One phrase in particular struck me: Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone. Jack and Diane were the quintessential popular high school couple, both beautiful and athletic. However, after high school, they discovered the best was not yet to come. They would spend the rest of their days living in the past where the height of their glory days wa ..read more

I have a confession to make: I am not a great housekeeper. I’m a single and full time working mom, so the time I have leftover to spend on house cleaning is minimal and I don’t enjoy the work. In fact, Disaster Responder is the term that best fits my housecleaning style. In other words, I focus my attention on the eye sore whether it be cleaning the spilled ketchup on the floor, the coffee filter full of grinds, or sorting through the mile high pile of junk mail. When life gets busy, I content myself with spot cleaning and if I happen to have house guests, I’m crossing my fingers for blind on ..read more

We all own a can of worms. You know the one—the misshapen container that holds our deepest fears, secrets, shame and sins. When faced with the ugliest aspects of ourselves, who could blame us for taking that can and shoving it into the darkest, deepest corner of our subconscious, never to see the light again. But, no matter how well we believe we’ve hidden the unsightly can, the darn thing always seems to pop up again at the most inopportune moments. After all, we cannot escape ourselves. The main ingredient in my can, my deepest shame so to speak, is failing at marriage—epically failing. My ..read more

In the aftermath of another election night, I am reminded yet again of why I put my faith in God and not in politics. Like everyone else, I certainly have my views and opinions about legislation, culture wars, identity politics, and all the rest of the hot button issues that have led to so much division and name calling, but I also hold the lessons I learned from my divorce close to heart and this has shaped my view on politics. My own struggle with division and brokenness has helped me to recognize that no matter what side you’re on, “we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (R ..read more