loving the unlovable

Loving the unlovable sounds impossible. Just writing that sentence reminds me of one of Thomas Merton’s famous quotes, “Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, […]

the ugly side of grace

Grace is a miracle. Poems have been written about its beauty. Songs have been sung declaring its praise. Stories have been told explaining its power. And in each of these, there is first something horribly wrong and ugly that is in need of grace’s gentle touch. Just over eight years ago, I had the worst […]

Grace is free sovereign favor to the ill-deserving. ~Benjamin B. Warfield

While on my run this morning, my phone fell out of my pocket. I didn’t notice that it was gone until we got home. We retraced our steps… twice. We tried calling the phone and texting the phone… but someone had found it and turned it off. They also turned off the location services, so […]

letting it all go

Sammy coughed all night long. I don’t care how old my kids are, I can’t sleep when they aren’t feeling well. When morning came, I knew I had to cancel two meetings I had today. There was no way I could have left her to herself. As our slow and quiet morning went on, this […]

eyes wide open

I have had a full day. It started with making pancakes, berry syrup, and bacon for my family. At breakfast, I talked my husband into staying home for the holiday. After breakfast, I got talked into a hike by my sweet and convincing husband. We came home and edited more of a wedding we shot […]

messes

There is nothing like homemade sauce and meatballs. They take some work, and things can get messy… but in the end, they are worth it. Friendships are like that. Parenting is like that. Marriage is like that. Life is like that. Today I am thankful for the messiness that is in my life… in […]

a father’s love

There are many well-known stories from the Bible. There are stories of love and bravery. There are stories of pain and regret. There are stories of hope and redemption. The prodigal son contains all of these. I am going to give you my version of the story, just in case you haven’t heard it. […]