There once was a girl who knew a bunch of people. She dressed nicely, smiled a lot, and had 678 people in her contacts. Her social media friends and followers were many. She doesn't need friends, right? She has plenty. If she struggled, she posted it on Facebook and...
Friendships
Looking Hot Versus Modesty: A Letter to a Young Woman
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...
Total Transformation Versus Coffee-mate Christians
It's inspiring to watch someone's life be transformed. From a fitness standpoint, think about Biggest Loser kind of results. How awesome is it to watch someone on the brink of, quite literally, death, morph into the picture of health and happiness? I worked in the...
Why Every Christian Should Read the Bible Daily
When I first started blogging one of the hardest things to deal with was acknowledging that people I considered good friends would never stop to read my words. Pouring my heart out and pressing "publish" felt so vulnerable--like I had allowed the whole world to see...
Does Following Jesus Make You Sweat?
Most people are a little embarrassed about sweating-- even while exercising! Although I used to be one of them, I now find this a little ridiculous. How do you know if you've worked hard if your body's cooling response (sweating) hasn't kicked in? Why bother going...
How Do I Stop Comparing Myself to My Friend?
This post is a part of a series titled, "Questions about Body Image and Comparison." Here's today's question: Dear Heather: My best friend has a great figure. But she seems to do nothing to work at it. She eats what she wants and barely exercises, yet still looks...
Three Ways to Deal With Mean Women (and Girls)
Nervousness clenched my stomach. We sat at a small coffee shop across the street discussing what the interview would be like. "She's pretty tough," Dave said. "But, I think you'll do just fine. Just act confident and she'll like you." My first real...
What Stops Us From Saying, “Come on In!”
The doorbell rings and my seven-year-old answers. He's our most out-going child, counting everyone a friend. Because it's usually someone under the age of ten ringing the bell anyway, I keep working and happily allow him the privilege of being doorman. But, this time...
The Urge to Overexplain
I suffer from a chronic condition. A condition called "overexplaining." I didn't realize I experienced this type of disease until the birth of my third child. The child who didn't latch right for nursing, the child diagnosed with lip and tongue tie, the child who I...
Growing Up Rejection: Finding Freedom from Fear of Rejection
I remember we were riding in the car on the way to a friend’s birthday party, maybe I was 11 or 12. My dad starts talking, he taught me a very important lesson that day. He told me to include everybody. He said “No one likes to feel left out. Make every girl there...