The Blog

of  grace  &  gumption

Can one small shift in your words affect your prayer life?

Can one small shift in your words affect your prayer life?

Several years ago, when our oldest son, Gideon, was still a toddler, my husband made a comment that has stuck with me ever since. We were going through our normal bedtime routine and Gideon was dawdling in the bathroom. To encourage him to get moving, I said, “Come...

How to handle your emotions in stressful times

How to handle your emotions in stressful times

It’s no secret that stress comes wrapped in a variety of packages - financial setbacks, medical issues, impending deadlines, lingering grief. When the storms roll in and the valley grows deep, every emotion you experience is felt to an exponential degree. Things that...

What does a 21st century miracle look like?

What does a 21st century miracle look like?

The very fact that I’m able to write this article today is a miracle, and I’m not even exaggerating. Let me back up. Twenty-four hours ago, after three solid weeks of working around the clock, Jason and I felt like my new website was just about “there.” Yes, there...

8 steps to live beyond your daydream

8 steps to live beyond your daydream

When I was young, I dreamed of becoming an astronaut. I decorated my room with posters of space shuttles, collected books about space travel and exploration, studied the lives of female astronauts, and visited NASA as often as I could. But in time, my interest in...

How to talk to God when you’re mad at Him

How to talk to God when you’re mad at Him

I was talking to a friend recently when she confessed, “I’m having a hard time praying these days. To be honest, I’m a little mad at God right now.” I knew exactly how she felt. I’ve definitely been there. Sometimes my emotions are so raw and deep I’d rather throw a...

The 4 ways God works healing

The 4 ways God works healing

Luke 13 tells the miraculous story of a hunchbacked woman who encountered Jesus and finally stood tall after eighteen crippling years. On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years....

Changes are coming! Join me?

Changes are coming! Join me?

  This week I was given the amazing opportunity to trust the Lord more deeply - I lost my job! For almost four years I was able to partner with some amazing women and use my gifts of writing and speaking through Priority Ministries. It was a dream come true and I...

My favorite books for Christian writers (and wannabe writers)

My favorite books for Christian writers (and wannabe writers)

The first thing I do whenever I feel the Lord prompting me to tackle another big writing assignment is go to my shelves and grab some inspiration from others who "get me." When God called me to start writing Woven (the Bible study I'm working on now), I knew I would...

Have a little church with Reba in your car! { GIVEAWAY }

Have a little church with Reba in your car! { GIVEAWAY }

The carpet is stained. The odometer is just shy of 115,000 miles, and on any given day you'll find at least seven candy wrappers, four coloring pages and two broken toys on the floorboard. But despite all that, sometimes my minivan is the best church I get all week....

What I learned when a Muslim boy spit in my face

What I learned when a Muslim boy spit in my face

I clutched my purse tightly in front of me, just like the tour guide said. I walked quickly, intentionally, up the sidewalk towards the bus, being careful not to make eye contact with anyone. Still, I could feel the eyes of a dozen men glaring into my profile from...

An hour before my wedding, I had a very strange request

An hour before my wedding, I had a very strange request

It felt like I had waited forever to have my turn in the Bride’s Room at church. At last, after years of mediocre first dates, awkward “define-the-relationship” conversations and many lonely Friday nights, I was finally sitting in the Bride’s Room feeling like a...

5 phrases to avoid when God calls you to action

5 phrases to avoid when God calls you to action

Following God’s path is wonderful. It is absolutely the best decision you could ever make. But there’s something you should know. When you follow God, he sometimes asks you to do scary things. Big things. Crazy things. Things that are definitely out of your comfort...