My six year old burst through the door one morning recently to say “Guess what day it is!?” I smiled at the twinkle in his eye. I knew what he was gettting at. “It’s Friday!” I watched him jump up an down with excitement. “It’s PIZZA NIGHT!” he shouted. He and his older brother had […]
In the spring of 2000, I sat with fifteen of my classmates in our twelfth grade Church History class, listening to Mr. Jones talk about early Christian monks. As we learned more about the monastic traditions of our desert fathers and mothers, he mentioned offhandedly how interesting it might be to try and live as […]
It seems that our world has changed overnight, and we are now living in an alternate reality. Schools, churches, and businesses have closed for an indeterminate amount of time. Everything is uncertain, causing widespread anxiety. We are facing a crisis that no living being has encountered before and we grope in the dark, trying to […]
It was my turn to teach the sixth graders at youth group last Monday night. To prepare, I braced myself and read over the lesson on the love of God. When it came time to pull the four students aside, I found myself facing a squirrelly bunch. We opened our Bibles to the right passage. […]
A quick internet search will give you lots of tips and tricks for more efficient morning and evening routines. We are all busy, and we all want to make time for what matters to us, or at least automate those daily tasks that need to be accomplished so that we are free to do other […]
On a random Wednesday last month, I was so excited to go to the San Diego Zoo BY MYSELF that I practically kicked my kindergartner and his big brother out of the car at school drop off. The San Diego Zoo is expansive and I couldn’t wait to meander, saunter, and amble my way through […]
With Thanksgiving upon us and Christmas right around the corner, it’s officially time to panic. The holiday season sneaks up on us every year and, as moms, we are the ones responsible for MAKING ALL THE MAGIC HAPPEN. It’s a lot of responsibility, but I’m here to help! Today I’m sharing some tried and true […]
Over chips and salsa last month, a friend and I were bemoaning the fact that it’s just impossible to live our lives as ethically as we’d like. Every time we turn around, it seems like we are stepping on the rights of others or contributing to oppression and injustice. If I only buy fair trade […]
We moved to France when I was seven. My parents had signed on to become lifetime missionaries and I was along for the ride. There were moments I definitely wanted to get off that missionary kid ride, and other moments when I wouldn’t trade the thrill of it for anything. But every October 31st that […]
My inner-16 year old made an appearance last Monday. I thought that I had left her behind, with all of her neediness and angst, but she followed me upstairs when I got home late from youth group. The house was dark and quiet as I crawled into bed beside my husband. My younger self wanted […]