As a mom, I am wary of any toxic, negative influences in my children's lives. I want to surround them with people who speak life, and who push them to become the best version of themselves. But the truth is, I'm not always good at enforcing this boundary in my own life. A few years ago, God gave me a reminder of the power of influence as I watched my son practice his swing. “Almost buddy! Try again. There you go!” I saw other parents coach my eight-year-old through his first time in a Continue Reading
When We Question Whether We Heard God: One Truth
I didn’t want the open the email. The subject line said it all. “Thank you…” After a few years pursuing this writing stuff, I knew what those two words meant. “Thank you but no thank you.” “Thank you but this doesn’t meet our needs at this time.” “Thank you, and please try again.” My finger hovered over the delete button before sending the words off into cyber space oblivion. I opened the Word document for an article I was finishing and the cursor blinked, mocking me. Why do Continue Reading
Dear Dream Chaser: Guard Your Heart
To my fellow dream chasers and go-getters: Sometimes our offerings to God can get entangled with distractions. What started as an honest response to his call can become counterbalanced by all the shiny things this world has to offer. Several months ago as I pursued this journey of traditional publishing, two wise friends offered the same words: “Focus on impact over numbers.” The first person went on to add that focusing on numbers was a losing battle. Whenever I hear the exact same Continue Reading