How do you feel about letting God have it?  Your anger, I mean. Many people are really uncomfortable about railing at the Almighty but I’m here to issue  your permission slip to do so, and even suggest that God is really okay with you unleashing your truest, most...

When you’re presented with an opportunity, is your first response usually a “no”? Maybe you’ll change your mind later, but is your typical knee-jerk a negatory? Or maybe you know someone like this, and think, “sure glad that’s not me.” But that mindset is very common,...

You are no stranger to disappointment. The past two years have been full of disappointments: cancelled graduations and proms, weddings and concerts postponed, trips cancelled or put off indefinitely, and all manner of other kinds of letdowns. And your experience with...

Have you ever wanted to try to do a something, but never did because you were afraid you’d be really bad at it? (I’m talking to you, perfectionists.) Well, let me introduce you to someone who didn’t let incompetence stop her. Her story is almost unbelievable, but...

One fall my husband and I took a trip to the mountains of Virginia, and before we left, I was determined to take no pictures of the usual “scenic wonders” this time: no fall foliage, no wildlife, no expansive vistas. I only wanted pictures of the stupid, the silly,...

I don’t know about you, but when I was in middle school, I really enjoyed a good cry. I kept a diary--you know the kind, with the lock and key (like that could keep anybody out), in which, to be honest, exactly nobody in this world would want to read the ramblings of...

So last week’s episode was all about awesome in the classical, deeply meaningful sense.  However. I submit to you that there’s a lot to be said for “awesome” in the colloquial, rather shallow sense, which means, simply: pleasing; very impressive.  So this week? Let’s...

We use the word “awesome” a lot these days--much to the irritation of some people. The classical definition goes something like this: causing or inducing awe; inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, or fear, as in an awesome sight or an awesome...

According to Lori Margo, “Life is hard and God is incredible.” Both phrases are true and happening simultaneously. “That’s my story,” she says. “I’ve had hard things come my way AND I’ve experienced the faithfulness of God alongside the pain and suffering. He met me...

One day, I came home to find a sticky note on the counter. It said, “Aphrodesiacs in the freezer.” My husband was at it again. He’d been to the grocery store, and as I peeked inside the freezer, I found the four containers of Breyer’s chocolate/peanut butter ice cream...

Writer Ama Scriver tells us, There’s something powerful in giving and receiving compliments. Studies show compliments have the ability to create positive energy in people and, for lack of a better word, light up your brain in all the right places.  Which seems obvious...

If you’re of a certain age, you may remember the introduction to a 1950’s TV show, when a few people gathered on a sidewalk shouted, “Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” “It’s Superman!” Oh, my friends, the benefits of looking up are so many: You see...

Author John Ortberg once said that “waiting is not just something we have to do until we get what we want. Waiting is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be.” Which is great…and excruciating. Because sometimes waiting is very, very hard. So. This is...

Boredom has a bad rap, and I understand why. Honestly, who wants to be bored? Who wants to see a boring movie, read a boring book, be a boring person? Yawn. Not me. Most people I know are not bored for lack of something to do. It’s often more a matter of situational...

There are times when “good enough” is good enough. But when it comes to the trajectory of your life, it pays to ask yourself, “What deserves my whole heart?” I mean, who wants to look back on life and say, “Awesome. I really did a half-hearted job of that.” Sometimes...