Polished by Story

I love that diamonds are made shiny by polishing them with, get this, diamond dust! It’s a great analogy for the way our relationships are so important to our spiritual formation. The thing is, being polished by the hardest substance in the world, even if it is just dust, can’t be comfortable. I know I’m rarely comfortable when I feel the rub, rub, rub of a truth I need to hear. I wouldn’t...

How Can I Help You?

This is Macy, my 1 year-old, helping Ada, my 4 year-old, clean the kitchen. To explain, they were using a water bottle and paper towels. I’m pretty sure they didn’t make things worse, and they were very proud of themselves. Today our pastor gave the church a new motto: “How can I help you?” Macy gets that, even at 1. You might say she isn’t smart enough to realize that she...

To Nurture

How does a 1 year-old girl know to love baby dolls instead of trucks? My baby, Macy Cheri, turned 1 last week and her gift was a perfectly pink baby doll. It isn’t that Macy isn’t exposed to other toys; we have a boy in the house, too. She just loves babies. It is such a reminder of the way God created women. I realize that not all women may feel this nurturing spirit. I remember wondering if I had what...

Heaven Power

A close friend of the Steven Curtis Chapman family, Kerry Hasenbalg is keeping the unseen community of the grieving updated on important events and milestones in their life after losing Maria. As a member of the Fellowship of the Suffering, I find her words especially tender and insightful. This particular post describes bracelets the women of the family received after the memorial service. Made of gold, pearl, and...

Zelophehad’s Daughters

Recently I entered writer Jason Boyett’s Fake Band Name Contest. I was a finalist with this awesome fake band name: Daughters of Zelophehad. I totally, totally didn’t win, but I actually grew quite attached to my entry. You know why? Because it represents one of the greatest girl-power passages in all of Scripture! Check it out in Numbers 27. I’ll sum up. Just before Moses died, he and Aaron were...