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In a world where access to information and world-wide connection has never been more readily available, sadly, we are often more disconnected, isolated, and lonely than ever before.  While we have access to more potential friends through social media, many lack true, meaningful friendships that last and stand the test of time. The advances in technology and media often make our day-to-day easier to navigate, saving us time and energy, in many cases. However, these conveniences have often led to more busy-ness, more rush, more things on the to-do list, and less patience. We know how to click a button to “like” a comment, but lack the motivation or skills or willingness necessary to develop, nurture, and grow life-giving friendships.  In a ministry where our company motto is No Sin...

When I was four years old, my parents made me take a daily nap in the early part of the afternoon. I remember this quite vividly and I absolutely hated that nap, but not for the reason you may think. During that time, on a regular basis, I had a recurring dream. A faceless, tall man in a long trench coat and a dark fedora hat would walk slowly down my street and up my driveway. He would then, very intentionally, walk to the front door, into my home, down the hallway, and into my bedroom where he stood, towering over my bed. Each day, I awakened panting with the awareness that someone had just been in my room. Years later, when my husband and I married, I began having a recurring nightmare, where a similar dark figure would walk into my bedroom, lean down over my bed, and begin to choke me....

Okay, full disclosure here. I struggled with the title of this article. Our children, young or older, are gifts from God. They are precious and called with a purpose. God has a plan for them, filled with purpose and hope. And we love them with every fiber of our being, so let’s just get all that out of the way first. Admitting that our children can be difficult does not mean they aren’t gifted by God or that we don’t love them immensely, it simply means that parenting them is… well… difficult! That said, I want struggling parents to be able to find the words on this page, as you sojourn through what may be some of the hardest days of their lives. I you to know that you came to the right place. The parenting journey isn’t for the faint of heart, so let’s dive in, shall we? ...

I am 50 years old for one more month, and I am confused about how I feel about it. On the day of my birthday last June, I was excited; I had assumed I would be disappointed by being 50, but I wasn’t. The day was a celebration of a life I was deeply grateful for. How amazing it is, I reasoned, that I had been able to be alive for this long. This life of so much beauty and goodness. This life of so much rebellion and learning the hard way. My life so far has been one long wrestling match with God. Am I okay? Yes. Am I enough? Yes. Do You see me? Yes. Am I loved? My mom told me years ago, on her birthday, that aging was strange in that she feels, inside, like she is the same person that she has always been—and yet, with each birthday, she feels further away from that person, too. It is not on...

My dad was a hard-working farmer from Mississippi who missed the first few weeks of school each year, because he had to pick cotton. He did, indeed, walk miles to school each day, barefooted and in overalls. Like his family before him, he made a living as a farmer and fisherman for most of my life. He had several side hustles, before anyone even knew what that was! While we always had plenty of food on the table and clothes on our back, there wasn’t much extra. When I was about nine, we moved to a new town and joined a new church. It was the largest church in town and many of the “cool” kids from the local private school went there. (I was a public-school kid.) As we moved through elementary and into junior high and high school, I felt more and more like I just didn’t fit in. While the you...

The transition into any new season can be a challenging. There are so many unanswered questions and for people like me, who hate change, it can be especially hard. I am the type of person who loves the expected. I love safe places, boundaries and normalcy, I am not big on surprise parties or surprises in general. Well, I guess you can say I am one of those boring types of people – you know, the predictable type. I think that the same can be true for many of us. There is a part of us that just likes to know what to expect. When we are transitioning into a new season, there is just NOTHING expected about that journey!   One of the most important things you can do for yourself as you move forward is to diligently seek and search until find yourself again. You MUST to find YOU ...

When I sit down to flesh out an article, it is customary that I consider my audience and often share a personal story that may resonate with the readers and offer them a common ground to build upon. I’ll admit this article’s journey wasn’t as simple. When I sat down to ponder the contents of this piece, I wondered what battle I would expound upon. What would resonate with you most deeply? Would it be the myriad of challenges I encountered while navigating single parenthood? Would I discuss my years of childhood sexual assault? Perhaps the severe beatings or the alcoholic father would find words on this page that would move you. Maybe I’d talk about the year I lost everything I owned in a catastrophic Louisiana flood, so that you would know you are not alone in your own loss. Maybe I’d get ...

Chase beauty, in all places—in words and in art, in nature and in creativity—as food for your heart. Don’t hurry to grow up—actually, keep the mindset of a child who is curious and unafraid to explore things you don’t know; try things you aren’t good at and enjoy every risk, every attempt to try something new without caring about the outcome. Take walks and look at the sky; relish getting lost for what you will discover when you feel like you have no idea where you are. Let the authors of stories speak to your imagination, reminding you of the wonder of places and people unknown—and how even those who are very kind are vulnerable to cynicism when their hearts are closed off to joy. (Be open to joy.) Be courageous in discovering who you are—the glory and uniqueness of the beautiful you. You...

I have served single mothers in formal ministry for more than fifteen years and perhaps one of the most frequently asked topics our ministry broaches is how to navigate the tricky waters of parenting with an ex. There is no special manual on how to make things run smoothly with someone that you couldn’t navigate a successful relationship with. Can we just establish upfront that it is indeed hard?! One hundred percent of the time – at least initially. Yes, there are some co-parenting relationships that are easier than others, and some do find their rhythm more quickly than others. But all are hard.   There are times when an ex does not do what they are supposed to do, and sometimes they are not easy to communicate and co-parent with. Honestly, there may be times when you do not do...

With more than 22 million single parents in the U.S. and numbers continuing to rise, many churches are beginning to create single moms’ or single parent ministry programs, including outreach and discipleship. Many of these plans include regular Bible study meetings via a Sunday School class, connect group, home study, ministry, or some such similar structure. This is especially exciting to me. As a former single mom who struggled getting planted back in a local house of worship for some time, what I wouldn’t have given for a formal single moms’ ministry to be offered at a local church during that season! I walked back in that local church in 1999 and the journey of getting connected and growing was a difficult one, but one I learned much from.  In 2003, I married and was no longer a s...

I do not know if there has even been a time in my life when the term “anxiety” has come up more than it has in the last five years. In doing some cursory research, it appears that even the secular world is noticing an increase in diagnosed anxiety, including a noted 5.12% increase in cases over the last ten years. (Social Psychology and Psychiatric Epidemiology, June 2021) I hear medications being advertised on television about it. I hear people referring to a difficult situation and saying “my anxiety was so high that…” I was even recently talking with a colleague about ministry and the women we serve, and she was acutely aware of the increase we’ve seen in that terminology, as well. There seem to be a number of women that are battling some level of anxiety during this season – anxious th...

It comes rushing in like a familiar friend who unexpectedly comes for a visit, and it’s usually bearing luggage for a long-term stay. A broken heart. Unfortunately, we’ve all-too-familiar with its grip. The weight of a broken heart leaves grief in its wake, making most of us gasp for air as we flail our arms trying to escape its immovable grip. The pain is substantial. The vibrant blues and yellows of life quickly turn gray and we find ourselves trudging through. It’s usually not the weight of one thing that puts us under. Rather it’s the occurrence of seemingly a thousand. A thousand pains. Disappointments. Blows. One more failed relationship. Another lost job. One more rejection from a friend. A broken heart sucks the air from our mouths. We want to breathe and live and laugh. We ju...