My Dear Girl: Where did the time go? I just saw your picture on Facebook and could hardly believe how grown up you look. You are not that precocious five-year-old girl to whom I used to sing the Dora the Explorer song. You are technically an adult now. Wow! But, as I...
Body Image
The Day I Stopped Hiding (And Really Started Living)
My most shining moments NEVER happen in the grocery store. Calculate my spending. Make healthy choices. Keep track of coupons. Now throw in a 2-year-old who loves to launch everything I place in the cart right back out. Enter sweaty palms and tension headache. So on...
Should Christians Get Boob Jobs? Coveting Cup Size & Confidence
"I want to get them done." Annie confessed. "I mean, I really want to get them done. I'm obsessed with the idea." "Ok." I replied simply. "Do you know why?" "Well, I don't look the same as I did before nursing. There's nothing there anymore. I know I'd feel better...
Do You Deserve to Wear Shorts?
Do You DESERVE to Wear Shorts? A Cautionary Tale I spent nearly ten summers refusing to wear shorts. I compromised nearly a decade of summers--boiling in jeans, pretending I preferred them. Okay, okay, there were also a few broom skirts in there. It was the 90’s in...
I Want My Beauty Idol
Are you a Christian who longs to be more beautiful? Read this! I'll admit it. I've watched way too many seasons of American Idol. I liked to pick my faves during auditions and see how far they could go. I loved the emotional drama of Hollywood Week. Yes, I sometimes...
Quieting That Mean Inner Voice, It’s Not Just Self Talk
We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this age. Ephesians 6:12 Why is inner voice so mean? You've heard the cliche . . . "You wouldn't talk that way to a friend, why would you talk that way to...
Dear Approval Idol, We’re Done
Dear Approval Idol: I've had enough. We're finished! This time it's really over. It's been a tough split. You tempt me to come back to you, reminding me that without her approval or his approval, I'll be alone. I'll never succeed. You lure me with thoughts that I'll...
Change Your Body Image Without Changing Your Body? “I Feel Pretty” Movie Misses the Point
Renee Barrett doesn’t fit society’s definition of beauty and she knows it. She longs for the life of a “beautiful” woman—the blessings and privileges bestowed only upon 5’10’’, 120-pound women with thin thighs, no arm flab, and shiny hair. But what happens? In the new...
Truth: Encouragement is Even Better Than Chocolate
"I'm done." I told him one evening. Ready to give up, the cumulative stress of four years of church planting had finally taken its toll and I wanted out. He kissed me goodbye and headed out for yet another meeting, leaving me to stew over my frustration alone. I heard...
What a Burning Desire for a Better Body Reveals
One month after our wedding day, my new husband picked me up at the Fresno airport which we lovingly referred to as FAT (well because that's actually it's acronym). I had been gone for several days, so we made small talk about my travels in the car. Then, with a sort...