No one expects to be diagnosed with cancer. As the medical tests roll in, so does the fear and anguish over what was, what's to come, and what will be. Over the last year as I prayed for direction, I experienced waves of fear, grief, and disbelief when I was unexpectedly diagnosed with breast ...
Book Coaching Packages for Sensitive Nonfiction Writers
Often in our formative years, we discover our love of reading, ideas, and creative expression through the written word. As we seek education to pursue careers and make our way in the world, often the formative love of writing and creativity get sidelined until life experience collides with internal ...
What is a Funeral Celebrant and Why Do I Need One?
When my grandmother began to decline in her 90s, I knew that I wanted to honor her with a beautiful and unique memorial service. Having served at churches on the worship team and throughout the Sacramento area as a guest, or fill-in, worship leader, it felt natural to select meaningful songs and ...
Losing Your Writing Voice and Finding it Again
In just one moment, things can change so quickly. It sounds trite, perhaps, or maybe even like a Hallmark movie, "appreciate what you have because at any moment, it could vanish." We take so many things for granted on a daily basis including our health, our family, our friends, and even our ability ...
10 Great Blessings from the Bible
"God bless them," "Bless your heart," "count your blessings," and "#blessings" abound as social platitudes, but what does it really mean to be blessed or to bless someone else? We all want material blessings, but perhaps spiritual blessings that only come from God are the most vital and important to ...
Contentment at Christmas
As the Christmas shopping season creeps closer to Halloween with each passing year, I'm reminded how advertisements, media, and companies prey on our inability to be content. For a nation overly concerned with happiness, it seems that we exist in a vicious cycle perpetuated by capitalism, which is ...
Top 15 Thanksgiving Bible Verses
As is customary on Thanksgiving Day, giving thanks for everything we have can be easy or hard depending on what's going on in our lives. If things are tough, it's often hard to give God our thanks; when things are going well, sometimes we forget to thank God, too. We praise God first because he ...
20 Unique Gifts for the Writers and Readers in Your Life
Buying a gift for someone is hard, but buying a gift for the writers and readers in your life doesn't have to be. Those of us who love reading (and writing) would rather be discussing ideas or jotting down poems crave gifts that speak to our souls. Call us bibliophiles, nerdy, wordy, or bookish, ...
When God Shows Up in Worship
One's conversion to Christianity often includes a dramatic overwhelming God-moment. Something incredible happens when the Holy Spirit breaks through and speaks to you directly. This type of encounter with God usually causes a change, or pivot, from doubt to belief. When God shows up, the ...
What Are the Pitfalls of Checklist Christianity?
When I became a Christian over twenty years ago, I wanted to know the best ways to fully engage with my new faith and become a devoted follower of Christ. While I grew up in Christian Science and attended church with my family regularly, I didn’t really understand that Christianity hinged on the ...
What is My Purpose After Motherhood?
I rattled off some details about my life, slightly nervous to bear my soul to a complete stranger. So goes it when you begin a relationship with a new therapist—one part medicine, one part confessional. Without too much warning, she asks me point blank, "It sounds like you're wrestling with ...
10 Bible Verses About Anxiety
To be human is to have certain levels of stress related to work, family, and life itself. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Anxiety disorders affect nearly 40 million adults ages 18 and up (that's 19.1% of people in America). This statistic equates to anxiety being the ...