It is only in the after, that we might see any beauty at all. After the snow melts. After the rain has come. After the bulb spends months in the dark cold of the ground. After the leukemia, and the chemo, and the central lines … the hospitalizations, and the procedures that swirl life right […]
For When You Are Broken and Long to Be Whole
I’ve been broken. In so many different ways. Broken by how I don’t fit in. Broken because of my failure and my sin. Broken because of the hurt I’ve caused. And broken because of my guilt and shame. Brokenness shatters our heart into fragments. We’re ruptured and torn and not in working order. We function, […]
Mended :: Providential Purpose {Week 6}
Angie Smith continues to bless, as we make our way through her book Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole. This week we’re discussing chapters 17-19 and continuing to wrestle through the steps of being mended. We are made complete amidst tragedy, redeemed through failure, and comforted by a Savior who understands every detail of our […]
Mended :: For When You Wonder if You Can Be Forgiven {Week 5}
There was a time in my life when I honestly wondered if I could be forgiven … if I was worthy to be near God or near the cross at all. And in the most dark and isolating moments of it all, I feared God would stop loving me. For years I told others all about […]
Mended :: The Root of Brokenness {Week 4}
I grow up on a farm … a farm with lots of weeds. I wish I could say I don’t have much experience with them, but that would be a lie. The truth is, I spend many afternoons in that central-San-Joaquin-valley sun pulling countless weeds, and I never, ever enjoy it. In fact, it seems […]
When Your Heart Longs for Healing {An Interview with Shannon Ethridge}
In the years following my affair, God began healing my heart from the self-inflicted wounds that had scarred me. He began to reveal Himself to me in ways I’d never known before, and as I surrendered to Him, He began to use me more than I ever imagined he could. The truth is, our brokenness […]
How Understanding Your Fantasies Can Heal You and Set You Free {A Book Review}
I have a passion for open dialogue about the real and raw places we really live. A passion for the places in our minds we’re afraid to share with others—mostly because of fear. Fear that we are the only ones. Fear that we are crazy. Fear that no one would understand. And ultimately fear of […]
3 Steps For When Your Heart Faces the Pain, Brokenness, and Devastation of Divorce :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 15}
No matter what, divorce is painful. It hurts. And its consequences never really end. I know—because twelve years ago I got divorced. I know first-hand the pain and its consequences, especially when adultery is involved. And while I’ll share those details with you another time, suffice it to say, God hates divorce from the spouse […]
Mercy Found Me…
Your mercy found me, Upon the broken road, And lifted me beyond my failing, Into Your glory, My sin and shame dissolved, And now forever Yours I’ll stand. In love never to end, To call You more than Lord, Glorious friend. So I throw my life upon all that You are, ‘Cause I know you gave […]
