Fix Your Newsfeed (and get rid of annoying ads)
In 2019, I sat down and recorded two simple videos about social media. Both were part of a 14-day live video challenge. The intention behind these videos was straightforward: how can we use social media to create connections and improve relationships? Since then, the platforms have changed, but the...
Fear, Faith, and Neuroscience
Thirteen years ago, on June 28, 2012, my friend Amy Peterson posted, “If you truly believe that God is in control and that He has not left the room: PLEASE stop using the following phrase about today’s weather/political/spiritual/financial climate, ‘I am scared about what is going on.’ You have...
What’s in Your Cup?
I enjoy my morning coffee (and sometimes an extra in the afternoon, and a bedtime hot chocolate or herbal tea). I’ve collected a variety of mugs over the years, each with some sentimental meaning. Every one of them reminds me of a person, a place, or a moment that...
Teaching the Children: Friendship
This title could easily be “What Children Taught Me about Friendship.” No inhibitions. No prejudices. Nothing to prove. As I watched a group of 3–7-year-olds during Bible class, I witnessed the beauty of connection. Children of different backgrounds and skin tones sat shoulder to shoulder, holding hands during the...
Love Wins (more than a hashtag)
Throughout history, good people, even faithful Christians, have found themselves on every side of every conflict or debate. Sometimes tensions run deep, even between family members, friends, and within the church. In addition to escalating political and global events, society grapples with issues of identity and belonging. Often, the...
Leap of Faith: from High Ropes to Letting Go
For the past several years, my son has spent his birthday away at camp. We often celebrate before he leaves or when he returns. For birthdays at camp, the female counselors gather around the male campers and sing Happy Birthday to various other tunes (this year it was the...
The Best Relationship Advice
Relationships can uplift us, teach us, or test us — sometimes all at once! Fortunately, we have the greatest wisdom for every relationship in the Word of God, specifically in Romans 12:9-21. Here, the apostle Paul offers some of the best relational advice you’ll ever find! In my study,...
Who do you see?
The memories feature on Facebook occasionally contains a past writing that did not make it to the blog. I often take those memories and share them with new insight or updated illustrations and applications. Today, one crossed my feed that doesn’t need changing but absolutely needs sharing: On...
Waves that Matter
Do you ever feel like you’re drifting through life, craving real connection, but not quite sure how to find it? You’re not alone. Through busy schedules, constant noise, and endless responsibilities, it’s easy to feel disconnected. That disconnect affects every relationship: from God, from others, even from ourselves. We...
Mountains, Waterfalls, and the Wonder of God’s Word
Our family recently spent a week revisiting Colorado Springs. Fourteen years have passed since we lived in the area. While driving around the city, we recognized a few landmarks, but many had faded from memory. Much has changed, for our family and for many of the places we once...