Transformation Update: Marriage Edition (Part 2)- How to Start Transforming Your Marriage

Transformation Update: Marriage Edition (Part 2)- How to Start Transforming Your Marriage

by | Feb 12, 2021 | ,

I have to be honest with y’all. I have written and rewritten this blog post multiple times trying to get it right. I can’t remember the last time I had such a hard time writing something! Why has it been so difficult?

I guess when it comes down to it it’s because I don’t feel qualified to write about marriage.

Sure, Jeff and I have been married almost 25 years. We have a pretty great marriage, and we have even counseled many couples who are either just starting out or struggling. But mostly we just share truths we have learned along the way, most of them the hard way. That hardly makes me an expert!

In reality, though, there is no magic formula. There are no 7 steps to a fabulous marriage, no checklist to greatness, no one-size-fits-all solution for your marriage woes.

So what’s the secret, then? Honestly, I have no idea!

All I know is it has taken us a lot of prayer, grace, and intentionality to keep it all together.

So, I guess that’s where we’ll start…

Tuesday Transformation: (Part 1) 9 Questions to Help Take Assessment of Your Marriage

Tuesday Transformation: (Part 1) 9 Questions to Help Take Assessment of Your Marriage

by | Feb 9, 2021 | ,

At times marriage can be really hard, even when you’re married to a great person. And the devil wants nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy any relationship that reflects God’s goodness. So, while Jeff and I both feel like we have a really good marriage, we never want to take that for granted. And I have learned I am not always as intentional about investing in our marriage the way I should…

The Goodness of God

The Goodness of God

by | Jan 29, 2021 |

Sometimes the goodness of the Lord overwhelms me.

You and I both know life doesn’t always go the way we want it to. God doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we hope. Things don’t always work out the way we expect. Often we find ourselves in situations where God doesn’t seem to be present at all, or if He is, we can’t seem to figure out what in the world He is doing!

That’s just real life. It’s hard and it’s messy, and it doesn’t always feel good.

But sometimes, on a rare occasion, we find ourselves overwhelmed with the God’s goodness. Tonight is one of those moments for me…

Transformation: A Different Way of Thinking

Transformation: A Different Way of Thinking

by | Jan 26, 2021 | ,

I am sitting in our host’s gorgeously furnished basement, surrounded by strangers. Jeff is talking to the nice middle-aged lady next to us, making her laugh about something random. There’s a spread of food on the tables behind us. I know I should probably be impressed by the professional sauna and enormous wine cellar next to the bathroom, but I have never really been one for fancy things. I am, however, second-guessing my decision to wear jeans!

My friend, Cindy, moves to the front of the room, and the crowd hushes. She begins to speak, sharing the story of how she first fell in love with the children of Swaziland. She tells us about her initial trip; of the people she met, the poverty she saw, and the myriad of emotions swirling inside her. On the screen behind her are…

Determining Areas of Your Life that Need Transforming

Determining Areas of Your Life that Need Transforming

by | Jan 22, 2021 |

“As I have begun asking Him to transform me this year, He has been revealing various areas that need to look different. And they don’t just need a facelift—they need to be changed from the inside out. Your areas of struggle may be different from mine, and that’s okay! But I would venture to guess you can relate to at least a few of these…”

4 Tools for Transforming Your Life in the New Year

4 Tools for Transforming Your Life in the New Year

by | Jan 20, 2021 |

Y’all know I love Jesus. I have been a Jesus girl for over three decades now. There is not a single day I don’t wake up asking Him to use me for His glory! And yet…

I get it wrong so much of the time. I am impatient and distracted and selfish. I have so many good intentions, but not enough follow through. I can tell you all the right things to do regarding your kids and your marriage and your family, but I rarely do them myself.

In just two weeks of focusing on these verses, I have been convicted by how much of my life “conforms to the patterns of this world.” The way I often prioritize my kids over my marriage. The way I spend my time and money. The way I wrestle with God’s authority in my life, somehow thinking my way will be better. (Newsflash: it’s not!)

It is so tempting to measure our faithfulness by comparing ourselves to others. But God never asks us to be better than anyone else. He asks us to give ourselves to Him, to willingly sacrifice anything that might hinder our obedience. He asks us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. If we are willing to allow Him to change the way we think and align our priorities with His, He promises to transform us from the inside out.

That’s the kind of transformation I’m longing for in 2021…

What I Learned to Embrace in 2020

What I Learned to Embrace in 2020

by | Jan 3, 2021 | ,

We are two days into the New Year, and I find myself needing to wrap up 2020 somehow. I wish I could put a great big bow on it, but it wasn’t exactly that kind of year. Still, there was a lot of joy and a lot of growth, and I don’t want to accidentally leave those gifts behind.

I have never been one to choose a “word for the year” like so many others do, but last year a word chose me. I don’t even remember how it happened. I just know that as I prayed about whether or not I should consider choosing a word, God began to whisper the same word over and over to my heart.

Embrace.

He whispered it in other places, too— songs on the radio, conversations with friends, in the pages of my devotional reading. Again and again the word appeared…. Embrace.

Immediately, it resonated with me, likely because I was filled with so much dread for 2020…

Looking Back and Moving Forward: 7 Questions to Guide You into 2021

Looking Back and Moving Forward: 7 Questions to Guide You into 2021

by | Dec 31, 2020 | , ,

We can do all the right things and bad things still happen. We can plan things out perfectly and those plans can disappear in an instant. There is something about uncertainty that clarifies our priorities. When all the excess things are stripped away, we find ourselves grasping for what we value most. And sometimes we can’t discern those things any other way…

Wrapped in the Unexpected

Wrapped in the Unexpected

by | Dec 22, 2020 |

NOTE: This week's guest blogger is my sweet friend, Lindsey Gibson. Lindsey was one of the first people to reach out to me when I joined Hope*Writers, and she quickly became a trusted friend. Her heart for Jesus and her passion for helping others is evident in...

I Need a Sign

I Need a Sign

by | Dec 21, 2020 |

The weather outside is gray and dreary, reflecting my soul. I am trying to get in the Christmas spirit… we are celebrating the greatest Gift ever given, after all! And You are my greatest gift, Jesus. Nothing in my life would mean anything without You. So I truly am grateful. I just don’t feel like celebrating…