“ "Few mothers do it willingly; very few do it well. But the boy has a question that needs an answer, and he cannot get the answer from his mother. Femininity can never bestow masculinity.” – John Eldredge Ouch. That hurts. But it’s true. For most boys it happens in their teenage years, Eldredge explains in “Wild at Heart.” Sometimes it gets ugly. A teenage boy pushing away from the comfort of mom will often…

You too? This season we are in has me feeling weary. I thought we were entering a sprint back in March. I was a sprinter in high school track. You focus on the finish line, run with everything you have, don’t look to your left or right. But…this has been a marathon. We can’t see the finish line. I’m terrible at marathons. I was reading in Isaiah 40 earlier: “He gives strength to the weary and…

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)  WHAT? Joy? There’s joy here in these woods? Yes, as you survive these “uncertain times,” there is joy. I mean, you may not see it for the trees, but it's there.  I’ve survived some…

On a roller coaster, blindfolded. Feel that way lately? Me too. It’s what author John Bevere would call a “wilderness season.” Feeling lost, confused lately by the events of the world, wondering where God is, and how we are supposed to respond. Exhausted. The wilderness is exhausting! As part of an initiative I’m calling, “Summer Reading For Grown Ups,” I’m reading Bevere’s, “God, Where are You?” and inviting you along on this journey. It may…

  Is it true? Helpful? My place to say? Three questions we have tried as a family to ask ourselves before speaking. My mom used to say, "Those words would taste bitter if you had to swallow them." She would remind me that words are like toothpaste from a tube; it's really difficult to take them back. I guess I had an issue with words when I was a teenager. I still do. I work REALLY…

  A thumbs up. A smile. A hug. Loneliness. Worship. Just five ideas I now know are universally understood after a trip to Kenya with Cure International and WAY-FM. Loneliness is felt whether you are in Kenya or Connecticut, wealthy or poor, married or single. Mary is a 32 year old single mom who lives in a village outside of Kenya with her two children. Her oldest daughter has disabilities, which aren't widely accepted in…