This is the time of year that captures my heart; the time when the pumpkin spice lattes brew and I take my scarves out of my closet and watch in awe as the leaves change outside from green to orange; an orange that blazes against the blue skies. There is always one tree in my […]

“I’m disappointed.” That’s what I thought to myself when I kept hearing the stories. Stories of misused trust and public degradation. Within the body of Christ. Sisters hurting sisters. Family betraying family. Friends shaming friends. And I wasn’t angry so much as I was disappointed. Sad. Confused. This world is a chaotic and tumultuous place, […]

Driving down the road, I listen to “Your Grace is Enough” as the wind whips through my hair. The sun is shining; I see the road stretch before me. That morning, I spent so much time worrying and spinning over things that hadn’t happened yet. I was upset with myself for what I was feeling […]

 Gentle.  That’s a word I never used to describe myself. I mean, I was a shy girl most of my childhood but something happened in my late adolescence. It’s like I became this outgoing, oftentimes loud, over-sharing #hotmess. You know that verse that talks about a gentle and quiet spirit? “But let your adorning be […]

DELIGHT AND BE // GENTLE I recently heard an extremely good talk on the fruits of the spirit. And when it came to the topic of gentleness, I was all ears. The speaker related gentleness to meekness. And described both as strength under control. I love that description! It is so easy to think of […]

It’s been a long and busy season, and that day my heart needed a release. I found myself driving down the same road. I felt it like a homecoming; a fresh wind falling on my face through the open window. I walked down the same path, and with the swift movement of my feet, the […]

I’m somewhere in the middle. Not quite where I was, and not quite where I’m going. And I’ve discovered that in the middle of things is where this life meets me. One minute, I think I’m pushing forward, but in the next, life keeps coming full force in my direction. And then I find that […]

“Do you feel God in this moment?” I buried my head deeper into the pillow and sat in the stillness, that muddy aftermath, the kind that comes from royally messing things up. “No,” I whispered. “Not really.” I felt hollowed out, like I’d given pieces of myself away, and the weight of that sacrifice, that […]

It was a beautiful morning, one where I felt a stillness calling me that I haven’t felt in awhile. Time to catch up with emotions and look at fears I had inside. I walked down a narrow bridge and stood at the edge of a creek. The water was gushing, moving fast. I watched, in […]

I imagine that I’m walking down a trail. Some wooded trail with hundreds of other people walking their own trails around me. None of us know exactly where the trails lead, but all we know is to walk them. And I’m trotting merrily along my way, waving at friends, sipping some coffee. And then suddenly […]

Sweet girls, this post is written by my beautiful friend Erin Westermeyer! She is going to be taking over half of the “Be Real” section of the blog with me and I couldn’t be more honored than to share this space with her. Her heart is a treasure, and I know you will be blessed […]

Beep. My alarm goes off and I roll in my bed. Maybe if I delay getting up I won’t have to think about all the tasks ahead of me. The emails to answer. The bills to pay. The contracts. Thousands of photographs to cull and edit. The lunch appointment. And that’s just work – there’s […]

faithfulness.   therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that […]