“HATE HAS NO PLACE HERE,” their buttons blared from their jacket lapels as they stood at Kellie’s back door. I recoiled. Clearly, the liberal couple wore the buttons to make a statement against me, the conservative guest who voted for Trump, right? I resisted my gut instincts that told me to bolt and opened the […]
Dinner in the Liberal Lion’s Den Read More »
Her eyes are piercing blue, an azure mix of intensity and compassion. I watch as she engages with my tribe- a tribe that holds a worldview so unlike her own, asks, listens, wonders, seeks, probes, gives. Kellie had arrived the day before, smiling and hopeful, flying in from her blue-state Seattle to my red-state Nashville.
Kellie’s Visit to Nashville Brings New Perspective Read More »
Lights, Camera, Action! A few weeks ago, my two youngest boys were soooo sad to miss school for two whole days to star in a short film by the production company Seventh Story as a promo for an upcoming Lifeway parenting conference called “Etch.” I got to play their mom.
Warning: This 2-minute Parenting Film May Require Tissues Read More »
Last year, one of my blog posts received over 3,000 hits. I guess it hits a nerve for so many of us who wonder some days if we’re making a difference. So, here it is again, just in time for Mother’s Day. Click on the white triangle in the audio bar below to hear me
Mother’s Day and the Danger of an Open-Door Policy Read More »
“Would anyone like to role play a tough conversation?” I ask. By their response, it looks like I’ve asked if anyone would like their hair pulled out one strand at a time. They look down at the table, then sneak wide-eyed looks at each other. I had just finished teaching my 7 Steps to Tough
Finding Courage for the Scariest Step in Tough Conversations Read More »
Have you ever felt like you’ve been abandoned? Sure that no one gave a rip about you Convinced you didn’t belong Unloved On your own…
When You Feel Abandoned Read More »
I am one of the few people in the world who does not like movies. After too many times of feeling trapped in the middle of a packed theater watching something I didn’t want to watch, I finally decided I couldn’t trust that a moviemaker will take me somewhere I want to go. So, I don’t watch
Inside Out- A Movie Review Read More »
Tears streamed down the little ballplayer’s face and his shoulders shook as he sat, dejected in the dugout. He had failed to hit the ball again. His dad/coach marched into the dugout. “There will be no crying on the ball field, do you understand me? No crying! You are not a baby!” The boy buried
10 Things to Say When Someone is Crying Read More »
It’s dangerous to have an open-door policy. Not to mention messy. I spy a pair of dirty, yellow socks under the couch in the living room and pop them into the washing machine with another load of clothes, then set a lonely tennis shoe on the front porch and pick up the granola bar wrappers
Neighborhood Kids & the Danger of an Open-Door Policy Read More »
For the life of me, I can’t remember my friend’s birthdays. Last Friday morning, just before I left to teach at a women’s retreat, I texted a dear friend in town to say, “I want to bring you one of my LOVED shirts so you can wear it and feel loved all day long on your birthday!”
What I Learned in Evansville Read More »