As the band started playing, I stepped forward on the stage and started my communion solo. “How deep the Father’s love for us, How vast beyond all measure.” Verses filled with such depth of truth. “That He should give His […]

There she was, sitting in a corner by herself. As she aimlessly ruffled the pages of her science folder, her sweet face turned downward showing no expression. My heart tightened as I glanced around the room. Everywhere I looked girls […]

I wrote this post initially for (in)courage: home for the heart of women. While many of you that read Balancing Beauty and Bedlam may not come from the same Christian world and life view, I think that challenging our teens to […]

I approached my door and tried to focus. Brown paper bags littered my sidewalk. Bags stuffed with manna. Food, toiletries, diapers, gift cards, and unsigned notes overflowed from grocery bags left for my family. Approaching a year without a paycheck, […]

In my kitchen, laughter permeates the air. I look around with joy as siblings are reunited. Our eldest is home for Easter and once again, our family is complete. When my firstborn grabs his brother in a bear hug and slaps […]

I turned the corner of the dairy aisle and there he stood. With his work shirt un-tucked, skewed ponytail strung down his back and shoulders slouched over the milk cases, his body language screamed, “Don’t mess with me.” Everything in […]

Ironically enough, I woke that morning with a spring in my step. The exhaustion of mothering our three stair-step babies had settled in, but amidst the chaotic, oatmeal in my hair and juice spilled on my pants, kind of day, […]

 I stumbled down the stairs, willing myself to the downstairs bathroom. I’ve never understood the draw of the early morning hours and at seventeen years old, those hours were tortuous. Mornings provided predictability. Never a day went by when my […]