A messy garden with ferns and shrubbery

My Messy Garden

FEELING THE NEED for a concentrated time of prayer one morning, I stepped onto the patio with Bible in hand. I felt unsettled and discouraged.  Things were not going as I thought they should, and I felt my heart tugging in several directions.  The needs in my life seemed numerous. I longed for direction, but my prayers seemed to hang suspended…

Bright star in a night sky

A Star to Guide Us

SITTING BENEATH THE STARS at a Christmas concert in the park, I listened to the familiar strains of “We Three Kings” soaring sweetly into the air. As I lifted  my eyes to gaze through the interplay of branches above me, my mind drifted with the words of the song.  I thought about those three kings and the star they followed. …

I voted stickers

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

SO HERE WE ARE in the midst of this messy political season– accusations, half-truths and, contradictory statements swirling around us from everywhere.  How do we navigate through the confusion to land on the truth of where God would lead us? In the last few weeks my Bible study has been studying Jesus’ letters to the seven churches in Revelation.  In…

Man and woman sitting close together and looking at lake

Fairy Tale Marriage, Soul Mates, or Journey Partners

THE OTHER DAY as my husband and I were enjoying some quiet moments together, I started thinking about our marriage and how to describe it. I knew we didn’t have a fairy tale marriage because even though it started out that way, it obviously didn’t continue. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have experienced a three year separation after over 20 years together….

Man looking surprised and perplexed

What Can I Believe?

AS I SAT at the kitchen table before breakfast, reading an article in the Wall Street Journal, I was thoroughly baffled. The article debunked everything our culture had been telling us about what is nutritious and what is not nutritious for the past 30 or 40 years. Hadn’t this all been scientific certainty?  Everyone agreed on it.  There had been…

Don’t Go Down to Egypt

Don’t Go Down to Egypt

It was one o’clock in the morning as I tossed and turned in bed. Two huge problems loomed before me the next day, and I didn’t know how I would solve either one. Restlessly, my mind churned through a myriad of possibilities, searching for answers. Tired and longing for sleep–which refused to come, I sighed and again looked at the…

wedding ring on a table

Would I Be Happier with a Divorce?

WHEN PROBLEMS BEGIN eating away at your marriage, one question that often rises to the surface is whether you might be happier with a divorce. In fact, if crisis erupts, it may be one of the first options that come to mind. But would divorce make you happier? Would it resolve the turmoil and nagging anxiety that keeps you off…

Fighting for Your Marriage While Separated

Fighting for Your Marriage While Separated

MY NEW BOOK, FIGHTING FOR YOUR MARRIAGE WHILE SEPARATED, A Practical Guide for the Brokenhearted, released this week and is now available on Amazon. My own story of separation and reconciliation, along with the powerful stories of others who’ve walked this road, have prepared me to bring you this battle plan for reconciliation—stories which were born in pain, but now…