ENCOURAGE - EQUIP - EMPOWER
IT STARTS HERE.
If your social media newsfeed was anything like mine these past few weekends, you would have seen many families celebrating the dance recitals of their loved ones. For one of those recent weekends, we were the family celebrating as my Kyle participated in his 5th dance recital. As a former dancer myself, it is a bit of an unreal experience …
We all long to feel that we have a sense of belonging with other people who make us feel accepted and well loved. Maybe you realize this and maybe you don’t, but I don’t think I am alone in expressing this idea.
Jennie Allen authors the book, “Find Your People.” This amazing Christian author was on Good Morning America talking about this best-selling title. Why? Because our society is aching for more than just relating to other humans through likes and comments on social media.
Etched beneath the skin of my upper right arm is a picture that looks pretty strange without any context. It’s half of a brain and half of a heart, combined to look like one organ and framed by a sunflower, a rose, and some daisies. Inside of the brain are the words no fear in love, written in a delicate script that almost blends in with the lines of the brain.
I got this tattoo in January of 2021 as a tribute to my mental health journey.
It is Mental Health Awareness Month – a recognition of the struggles some people face, often silently. I’ll share my testimony because it is my constant reminder of God’s love. It is a battle with depression that almost won. My story is no less or greater than any individual's story – we are all different and important. I share as an awareness, as a hope, as a testament to God's glory, resilience, promise, and ultimately, His love.
One of my favorite parts of the Easter story is John 20:10–18. It’s the scene where Jesus reveals Himself to Mary Magdalene at the tomb, making her one of the first eyewitnesses of the resurrection. Growing up, it was easy for me to skim over this story and move onto the dramatic scene where He appears to His disciples. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard the story of Jesus inviting doubting Thomas to put his fingers in His hands and side.
Life can feel so heavy. Whether you are listening to the news, talking to a friend or just living in the midst of your exhausting day to day, there can be a lot to be discouraged about. For me, I am in a transition season at work and have had difficult conversations with my adopted children’s birth parents lately. It has drained me emotionally. If I am honest, some days I can get to the end of my rope. Does that sound at all familiar to any of you?
When was the last time you experienced beauty that took your breath away or moved you to tears? When did you last put yourself in the path of beauty?
“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I will dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
Psalms 27:4 NIV
I wrote the poem below many years ago when I was living in Venezuela for eight months doing mission work. Over that time span, three young people who I knew back in the States died. I had never really dealt with death before, and it was especially hard being away from family and friends. I felt like I had barely started to process one death when I would get news of another.
I’ve never been great at sitting still for very long. There is always something on my to-do list and never a to-done list. I’m perpetually doing and can feel restless when sitting still. I’m well-aware of this struggle, yet it has continued to be a pattern since high school that has carried into my mid-thirties.
Over the past four years, 22 remarkable women wrote blogs for WillowdaleWomen. They shared their wisdom on a range of subjects including: mental health, living through the pandemic, grief, singleness, confidence, setting healthy boundaries, biblical strategies, building flourishing friendships, trusting God’s plan for our lives and so much more. Women from around the world in 80 countries have read their stories.
Here are the top 10 blogs since the WillowdaleWomen launch in 2018:
Created with eternity set into our hearts, the human spirit is imbued to the deepest core with hope. This gift is given to every person in the history of humanity. Regardless of our station in life, what physical characteristics that we were born with, the circumstances we grew up in or who we become, the truth of our creation recognizes the image of God in all of us.
I get frustrated when I need to say the same thing to someone over and over again. Why don’t they just do it? Why do I keep having to repeat myself? It doesn’t take much for me to lose patience and start to have a bad attitude. So, when I keep messing up and don’t follow God’s commands, it’s easy for me to think He’s given up on me too, or at the very least, is running low on grace for my mistakes.
To some, February 14 is a dreaded day! All the hearts, flowers, chocolates, and romance in the air is a harsh reminder of dreams of love that have not yet materialized or of a lost love. To some it might be a reminder of a love who has passed away. This Valentine’s Day, let’s celebrate the gal pals that enhance our lives!
As a lifelong single person so far, it’s an understatement to say that Valentine’s Day can be a source of sadness. After moving past the days of receiving Fun Dip and paper valentines from everyone in my elementary school class, it became a little harder each year to get excited about a holiday that celebrates a type of love I’ve never had.
