July #jammed: Grace serves. Day 191: Space to breathe. “ Be like obedient children as you put aside the desires you used to pursue when you didn’t know better.” 1 Peter 1:13 “Are  you ready to go?!” I excitedly asked my toddlers. “YAAAAYYYY!!!!” and off we went to meet up with friends for a day of fun in the sun. Or, so we thought. No ..read more

June #jammed: Under the Blanket of Grace. Day 160: Grace defends. “Still, the Lord is true to His promises; He will hold you up and guard you against the evil one.” 2Thessalonians 3:3 “She did it on purpose.” she whispered through fresh tears. “I know,” I commiserated, as I put my arm around my girl. But it didn’t make her feel any better. She ..read more

June #jammed: Under the Blanket of Grace. Day 158: Grace’s Place. “The thief approaches with malicious intent, looking to steal, slaughter, and destroy; I came to give life with joy and abundance.” John 10:10 (VOICE) “Mom!” my daughter warned, “you can’t look in this treasure box …you’ll just get mad.” She’s right. I think collecting things off of the floor wherever we go is really ..read more

May #jammed: Growing Grace. Day 129: Invisible. “Don’t eat with people who are stingy…” Proverbs 23:6(NLT) The first lesson competition dance taught me, besides sticker shock, was fake eye-lash application. It’s a lot more intimidating than it looks, and far easier than waving a mascara wand at a moving …flinching object. Still, the mistakes at the beginning were to be expected, and as I tried ..read more

December #jammed: Grace, gifted. Day 348: Rivalry. “A true friend is closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 Ivy is a climbing vine. Holly is a tree or shrub. I will never hear the “Holly and the Ivy” carol the same way after bearing witness to my two oppositely gifted daughters and their unspeakably close friendship. David and Jonathan’s friendship is highlighted in this verse. There is ..read more

November #jammed: Gracious. Day 320: Thankful for my friend. “A friend loves at all times.” Psalm 17:17 (NIV) Side by side, with our arms up in the air and our souls light under the weight of His presence, we sang praise to the One at the core of our lives …and our friendship. The older I get, the more I realize how rare it is to find ..read more

November #jammed: Gracious. Day 313: Thankful for friends. You can’t just go along with this, treating it as acceptable behavior. 1 Corinthians 5:11 (MSG) “I just don’t have respect for Christians that drink.” So much for sharing a casual drink among friends. “It’s judgmental not to hang out with people just because they drink or swear.” Anyone else feel like a friendship yo-yo at times? It’s not our place to ..read more

July #jammed: Grace serves. Day 192: One foot in. “Give us a king to lead us.” 1 Samuel 8:6 God’s people never needed a king …they had God. They often failed to see how set a part they were always supposed to be. Samuel is fielding this request, and he tries his best to persuade the people otherwise. But, they would not be deterred. They ..read more

Oh, how careful we must be when reacting to hurt. Quick to listen, and slow to speak ..read more

Think about someone you struggle to like. I bet it doesn’t take long for someone to float to the surface of your mind. This could be a neighbor, colleague, family member – anyone whose personality might not mesh so well with ours, or whose history is a messy tangled in our own ..read more