Slavery Is Not Inevitable

There is always a story behind the story. Nate and I have been privileged to walk with these two cherished friends and witness the story behind this story that many thousands across the world are now reading. I read the manuscript years ago while spending a weekend at my mom’s house and, even in its nascency, it gripped me. Though the story is set on a different continent from where my children are born, it sheds light on their potential destiny, thwarted. 

This message worked its way into me as I watched the baby being formed; ultrasounds and birth pangs, witnessed, only enhanced what I sensed was being released through Corban’s words. Then, again, to hold the crisp ..read more

Meeting the Father of the Fatherless, Heart to Heart

The post I’m about to share from a new friend with an ancient heart and an ancient message is so near to the pulse of our home. Many can do His works, but carrying the burden on His heart back to Him in prayer, first, is true friendship with God.

Kinsey Thurlow is a friend of God.

And though I haven’t known her long, it’s undeniable that her life overflows from a place she’s reserved only for Him. Her message, here, is evidence. I love her heart! 

(Kinsey writes regularly for the Orphan Justice Center blog – you can find more of her beauty-on-page there.)

(For the month of May and a week into June, I will be pressing pause on ..read more

A Heart For Your Children

We pulled away from a dinner with their family in our childless days and a sense from Him surfaced in my spirit: “you’re going to learn from them.” 

And that we have.

In those days, we had no idea that God was preparing us to have a bigger-than-average family or that we’d even find a passion and calling, imparted from Him, within our four walls. Louis and his wife, Claire, have shown us what the Father’s heart looks like in the context of raising up children … lots of them. Family isn’t their afterthought, just as it isn’t His.

They demonstrated this to us before their words explained it and we had a living laboratory for a few sweet years ..read more

Right Here In The Waiting

Anne and I chatted over fasting and finding Him in a guest home we shared for a brief stint while Nate and I were on a personal retreat and she was traveling for work. I didn’t know then about this group of women that had emerged from Anne and a few others who were finding Him while pressing pause on their flesh’s cravings. 

For her, it’s real. She found new layers of Him when circumstances didn’t shake out as she expected. Read …and be compelled! 

And for those of you looking to connect your story-line of waiting to His greater message, check out the blog on which Anne contributes: fast.pray.

(For the month of May and a week into June, I ..read more

What Kind of Woman Will I Be?

In my thirties — a stage of life where I have never before had less time and more people depending on me — I have seen Him put shape to what friendship is meant to be. Iron sharpens iron, one life brushing up against another and causing a beautiful friction that transforms all that’s dull. 

Today I get to share with you one of my dearest.

Kelly sharpens me. By her life against mine, I have known new sides of Him. As you’ll see from her writing this sweet friend o’mine  is in hot pursuit of a life surrendered and the God-Man behind that surrender. I just love her!

(For the month of May and a week into ..read more

He Makes Beautiful Things [VIDEO]

To imagine my newly married days with an older child that we’ve just adopted, who also has some special needs, seems mind boggling. I’ve met a woman who knows the grace of God for this very moment. Mamas, when you eke out that “this is too hard” cry, remember there are stories emerging all around us of a God whose strength is made perfect in this ache. 

Christina‘s is one of them.

I met her because she helped foster Lily in our waiting period. Our daughters shared a home for a few months and share a God who breathes promises over them every day, despite what the odds might say. I have a deep admiration for Christina, ..read more

When He Comes in the Hunger

We file into her basement every Wednesday night — underground, the place where fire often burns brightest. A few less than a dozen of us span a decade and a half, sprinkled across all stages of life. We have one thing in common: desire for this God-Man. I’m excited to share with you today a friend, this gatherer of our little motley crew, who makes me want to know Him more. Dana Candler is an author who leads to many to the place of hunger. I suspect this window into her writing, into her heart, will leave you wanting Him more. Her books are listed below this post and might just be the kick-start your ..read more

The Calling For Those Who Wait

Though we only just met this fall, this next author-friend feels like an old friend. Judy has been a beautiful encourager to me in my writing and her own story, that you’ll get a taste of here, is full of time spent in the waiting room and the richness that comes from life’s delays. To kick-off Mother’s Day weekend, a weekend I spent many years dreading, Judy Lewis raises a banner of vision for all woman.

(For the month of May and a week into June, I will be pressing pause on my online writing and this space will become a series of testimonies of what He births in the midst of delay, perplexity and pain. Author friends from around ..read more

Fruitful Vacancy

Mike and Anne Rizzo have blessed us so much here in Kansas City. After listening to their son pour his heart out as a singer and musician through the webstream on my computer for so many years, little did we know that when we moved here almost 2 years ago that his father and mother would become dear friends. Their life is a picture to us of true fruitfulness — they live in private what they speak and teach in public; they love Him. They have a soon-to-be published book, called Longing For Eden: Embracing God’s Vision in Your Marriage, and Mike has graciously agreed to offer an excerpt of his book here, for my readers. Enjoy!

For the month ..read more

Our Good and Perfect Gift

If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you’ve heard me mention Amy Julia Becker. This past fall, her book A Good and Perfect Gift – about how her experience with disappointment turned into overwhelming blessing — sat on my bedside table for a few weeks because I just didn’t want to finish it. I didn’t want my experience with her book to be over; it was that good. Her words, which you’ll hear a snippet of below, stretched both my mind and my heart. Amy Julia and I were, first, friends by default, as our husbands lived together in college. But since, we have formed a sweet (and separate) friendship. She has become a steady encourager to me as ..read more