Today is sort of a Dream-Come-True kind of day for me. There are a few big things happening — in a few moments, I’ll hit the button to send off the first draft of my finished manuscript for my first book, a devotional called PAUSE: Making Time To Walk With God. Then, I’ll move into tech dress week for The Whole Woman Summit, a project that I’ve dreamed about doing for ages, and is finally here — next week, we... Read more

I remember the conversation so clearly — the not-so-subtle pressure, my building resentment, where I was standing in the kitchen, which hand I was holding the phone with. I was exhausted, stressed, near tears — and forced to say “Yes” yet again. And this made me so angry.   I was in an incredibly busy season of my life. I had a full time job, was in school part time, and had just come off a short run with a... Read more

I know a secret about The Secret — remember that book / movie from a few years ago that promised you can think your way into whatever you want in life? A lot of people thought that was a little woo-woo, and maybe a bunch of hoo-ha. A lot of Christians thought it was the equivalent of devil worship. Well, I’m here to tell you that the Law of Attraction is a very real thing, and there’s nothing spiritual about it.  ... Read more

Anyone who’s been in a capital-E Evangelical church for any amount of time knows that women often take a secondary role to men. Men lead; women serve. Even when highly qualified women serve in leadership capacities, they are called directors, not pastors. There is an unwritten rule that even if a woman is in charge, not really.   It’s also true that women who call this reality out are often chastised. I’m no exception. I’ve had some of those back-office conversations... Read more

I remember the day like it was yesterday, and the sinking feeling in my stomach as the realization dawned: in order to be happy, I could never have a boss. I had to be an entrepreneur.   I had just done a values assessment, and realized that my number one value is freedom. I want the freedom to be who I am supposed to be, to say what’s on my mind, to use my time as I see fit. The only... Read more

I’ve played the conversation over and over in my head, and in all cases, I still come out looking like the asshole. Dammit.   It’s one of those moments when I had the chance to speak out, to speak up for social justice, and I didn’t. The anger still burns a hole in my stomach. Anger for the actual thing I didn’t speak out about, anger that I didn’t speak out. It all mixes up in my stomach, a tiny... Read more

One of the things I’ve noticed about Jesus — aside from the fact that he really liked to eat probably way more than his daily Weight Watchers point allowance — is that he often was desperate for alone time.   He gets me. He really, really gets me.   I wake up every morning at 5:30 am for one solitary reason: to be solitary. I’m an introvert in an extrovert’s body. I love making real connections with interesting people, but... Read more

I think there’s one thing we can all agree on: the world could use a whole lot more peace.   For some of us, that means peace in our homes that might be riddled with interpersonal strife, stress, cold shoulders.   For others, it’s the kind of peace that comes when we know the world is safe for us and for our children, when we know our basic human rights are protected, when we know our place in the world... Read more