HOLLY MACKLE|CONTRIBUTOR “So I wrote a novel.” Those were the exact words I used to tell my friends what I had done…way after the fact. Two dear friends found out a few months after it was finished, but the rest—and I mean all the rest—found out years later. The people my children call aunt and… Read More
KATY BRINK|GUEST “We all struggle, regardless of what we believe…But it’s what we believe that determines the outcome of the struggle.” – Carolyn Weber, Surprised by Oxford Have you ever been lonely? I suspect we all have at some point in our lives. Maybe you are lonely right now. Loneliness can strike whether you are alone… Read More
KRISTEN HATTON|CONTRIBUTOR “Jesus is going to be so, so, so, so mad at you!” I sat stunned. I’m not sure what the kid behind me was doing, but it didn’t matter. Jesus was not mad at him as is momma told him so. He may have straightened up, I honestly don’t know. All I could think about were… Read More
SUSAN SHEPHERD|GUEST When I first joined our staff, my son was in preschool and my daughter had just started kindergarten. I still remember looking out the window of my office to catch a glimpse of her playing on the playground with her friends, in her red Mary Jane’s and plaid uniform jumper. Today, they are… Read More
MEG FLOWERS|GUEST It felt like a game of “one of these things is not like the other.” Teenage girls and 40- something moms of adolescent girls mingled and found seats beside other mother-daughter duos. I, a 30-something mom of 4 and 7 year old boys, made my way to a “not like the others” loner… Read More
KARON WILLIAMSON|GUEST It was the typical Sunday morning. You know, getting the kids dressed, hair done, teeth brushed, some semblance of breakfast, get in the car, tell the kids to not touch each other or talk to each other, and answer as I do every Sunday morning, “No, son, I do not know what we… Read More
MIMI BRADY|GUEST I like New Year’s Resolutions, mainly because I like a challenge and I enjoy setting goals for the New Year. With every January, I tend to evaluate how I’m spending my time and planning my days. Each New Year, I attempt to figure out how to maximize my waking hours to get as… Read More
STEPHANIE HUBACH|CONTRIBUTOR For nine years, I served our denomination as MNA Special Needs Ministries Director. In that capacity, I probably made close to 100 trips—many of them by plane. Since transitioning from my role as Director, I’ve had some time to think about the parallels between air travel and ministering to and alongside families touched… Read More
RENEE MATHIS|GUEST “Know your limits, then push them.” We hear this and see this and usually don’t give it a second thought. Motivational inspirational quotes are everywhere these days. But real life? Is it so neat and tidy and slogan-worthy? Life’s Limits This past weekend I brushed up against some real-life limits that made me… Read More