It was mid May and I was a Mom of four young kids in school. Enough said, right there, right? Only 10 am but already feel like I couldn’t go on without a cat nap. Yes, surely a cat nap would revive my May depleted soul. The warm, morning sun was shining in my bedroom so I stretched across the bed thankful for the silence. 

God, our Creator, designed us with unique and individual purposes. In getting to know Him better we will find ourselves and the purpose for which He created us. Your true purpose is not found in a pursuit but it is found in your Purpose-Giver. 

Here’s a year end/new year processing project for you! You can take 30 minutes or 3 hours to work on this so #beFree to go with the flow as you live life intentionally.

Uggghhhh, the blogposts are starting to pour in. So many people are writing about the struggles of the holidays: the frustration, the depression, the hate, the unmet expectations. Unfortunately these feelings ring true for so many, if not all of us....

True hope is found in the midst of Christmas brokenness, not in the absence of it. 

With my magic markers spread over the den floor around me, I carefully cut the shape of a kite from a brown, paper grocery bag. The next day was to be our third grade musical, Mary Poppins, and I was so excited I was about to pop!

Back in the college days of my youth, I was falling deeply in love with a young man who swept me off my feet at the young age of 19. I was immature and inexperienced in love, but that makes the story a little more exciting, doesn’t it? Love was new to me. It wooed me into the captivating days of losing my appetite, forgetting responsibilities, and finding it hard to sleep without dreaming of “him”.

I have a memory that’s forever pressed into my heart. One of those endearing moments that I know I will never forget. Years ago, when I was a young “30 something” . . .

I'm having those New Year's thoughts that come every January . . .

• What significant things happened in 2016?
• Have I changed this past year?
• Did I have any resolutions last year?
• Did I reach the goals that I set?
• What can I do differently in 2017?
• I'm ready for a change! New beginnings!
• Will another year be filled with the same old stuff?

It was the first day of November. The colorful leaves welcomed me as I set out for a day of work. Driving, I prayed, “God, I want more. Give me life. Give me a glimpse of your kingdom here on earth.” 

Easy to pray, harder to believe.

At lunchtime I drove into Homewood, a small, charming suburb of Birmingham, where I immediately felt, you guessed it, at home. The community welcomes you with open arms and seems to say, “Come on in … everybody is welcome here.” In fact there is one day a year set aside called, “We Love Homewood Day” because everyone who lives there loves it so much.

But it’s not about the storms, it’s about the anchor that holds in the midst of the hurricanes that threaten your life.

You know the feeling, don’t you? When you pick up a book you want to read about the author first. You know that you will have a much better understanding of the story if you know where the author is coming from.

We look around and everyone else seems to be making it successfully. That’s exactly what I want people to think about me - that I’m making it. That’s exactly what they want me to think about them.

"The shining beauty of my identity and the way God made me, just me without children, was there all along underneath the everyday.  It was not far off. The me apart from earaches and antibiotics, sack lunches and gatorades, skinned knees and homework was just waiting. Lost but not forgotten."

How often do I miss the joy of the journey when I, like Nate, am bound by the illusion of a perceived treasure? We are misguided when we believe that the getting life brings the more joy and happiness than the giving life.