The Letters I Wish I Could Write: On Mental Health & The Church

Sometimes I wish I could write a letter to the woman I asked to pray for me in sixth grade, telling her I was always scared. I wish I could tell her that when she asked me what I was scared of, I couldn't think of a single specific thing. But I could still feel…

On Refugees: A Poem & A Few Ways to Help

I could have been you. I could have entered the world at war, Could have seen horrors that echo, Could have known nothing but danger and the desperation for escape. But, somehow, I'm me. I'm not where you are, Don't understand suffering the way you do, Don't know what it's like to be hated in…

For The Hard Days

I'm in a transitional season, a time of waiting. Usually I'm pretty good at seeing positive things in where I am and doing what I can here. But... there are also hard days. I'm realizing that we all have them. I don't know why I thought I was the only one, but I definitely did. I used…

Cold & Warmed {Walking in Joy, Week 3}

Sunday Confession: I'm kind of the Grinch until the day after Thanksgiving (although Brandon Heath understands me so I'm pretty okay with it); Christmas is a feeling I savor, so I feel like I'm cheapening it if I start celebrating early. But. . . these holly-like bushes outside Wal-Mart were so cheerful, stark beauty in contrast of…

If It’s You & Me, We’re Ready for Anything

One of my greatest dreams is to make music, but I never thought that I would actually do it; I assumed that I would become an interior designer or something, because who actually gets to do what they dream, right? Yet last year I had such a strange moment where I just KNEW-- I knew Jesus…