Steven Curtis Chapman (SC squared) wrote the soundtrack of my life, something I share with Jason Weber who was one of the MCs for the general session of the CAFO (Christian Alliance for Orphans) summit.   I can remember so many of his songs that became a huge part of me and what I was going to.  He is only a year older than I am, and he started his Christian music career very young, so he has been with me through the ups and downs of all kinds of seasons. "My Redeemer is Faithful and True" held me up when the first guy I ever fell in love with decided not to marry me (and you can ima ..read more

Saturday night my husband got pretty sick with a stomach bug and by 8:30 Sunday morning had decided he couldn’t be away from the bathroom long enough to lead worship and preach. And there’s only one person in the world willing to do those two things with 2 hours notice.  So I quickly prepared a sermon on the text that her had chosen for the day.  (Well actually what the Revised Common Lectionary had chosen for the Ascension, but I digress. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to t ..read more

The song I’m sharing today is a song that I’ve shared before …. but the one I have shared before is the tame version. John Mark McMillan wrote the song “He Loves Us” but there are two versions out there.   In the song there’s a line about a kiss that is a simile used to describe the love connection between heaven and earth – the Father sending the Son to earth as an action of love. David Crowder sings it with the words ‘unforeseen kiss” while Kim Walker from Jesus culture sings “sloppy wet kiss.” There’s a lot of discussion about these two versions and some say that the “sloppy wet kis ..read more

Since I took PTO on Thursday and Friday to get our taxes done (and yes, you can imagine with my personality how fun that was for me) I didn’t get a chance to share thoughts about Mother’s Day before it was over.  But I have a few so here goes. If everything is pretty good in your world and everything lines up, Mother’s Day is a great thing.   But for many folks, Mother’s Day can be a painful day.   It’s painful if you happen to have lived through the death of your mother. It’s painful if you are unable to have children for one reason or another. It’s painful if you have a dis ..read more

 If we hear the word abide, we kinda know what it means … but have you ever looked it up. The definition is to live, or to dwell, or “to continue without fading or being lost.” Apply those meanings to this scripture: Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. If we live/dwell in Jesus without fading or being lost, He will do the same for us.  Isn’t that an amazing promise? Let’s all take time to remember how amazing it is that He abides with us. Here’s a couple old hymns ..read more

Have you ever been told that you talk to much or that you just need to shut up?  I hear that occasionally.  I hear about being too passionate or talking about things too much.  I hear it from others and sometimes even inside my own head.  “Why can’t you just shut up?" The story of Esther shows how one woman who said what needed to be said, saved her people.  Do you know the story of Esther?  If you don’t you should probably read it cuz it’s cool.  Basically God orchestrates it so that one person is in the right place at the right time and her saying what need ..read more

If you have been involved in the “child welfare space” as a Christian these words from James 1:27 have become engraved in your heart: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. These words were motivation for us as we began our foster care journey.  I mean if you’re going to have religion — it might as well be a religion that the Father accepts as pure and faultless right?  Is any other kind good enough? The two parts of the verse seemed disconnected to ..read more

 I've been in kind of a funk the last week or so.   I'm trying to figure out why.  I think it boils down to a few things: 1). I'm very discouraged by the fact that several of my children are dealing with their issues by either drinking or smoking weed.  The smell of marijuana is a huge trigger for me (going back to my high school days and being reinforced for the last twenty years or so) and now that is is about to be legal in Virginia the smell is everywhere.  But when it is on my property it is very troubling to me.  It makes me feel unappreciated and disrespect ..read more

Check out these verses from Jeremiah 5: For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait.They set a trap and they catch men. Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; therefore they have become great and rich; they have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they j ..read more

I had another doozy of a morning.  Two in a row.  I won’t overshare but dang.    Today was even more stressful than yesterday. But I heard a song on my way to work this morning that reminded me of this verse in Revelation 21: And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And I asked myself, “All things?  Really?  Because some things it seems are going to never change.” And yet the verse says ALL things.  Maybe not now.  Maybe no ..read more