During the last 8-ish years that I lived with my mom, I always knew exactly what gifts I would be receiving on Christmas morning. I knew because I unwrapped those gifts way before Christmas day. And then I would wrap them back. I could never wait until Christmas morning to know what those boxes held, and I would spend days perfecting my surprised face. Side note to my mother who is […]
“So we’ve talked about school and boys now let’s talk about God. How have you and God been?” It may have been easier to speak if she had asked, “How are you?” or, “How have you been?” But she was specific about everything. She really wanted to know. So for the second time in only a couple of days I had the chance to be vulnerable and honest with a […]
What to do when the world feels too heavy. There is a quote by Tim Keller on the whiteboard in my office that reads, “The Christian faith has a hope that overwhelms grief. This hope doesn’t get rid of the grief or pain but sweetens and shifts it.” I wrote these words out on the morning of July 17th, when my Twitter feed filled with news of a passenger airline […]
The moment I woke up I noticed the pain but, it wasn’t until my right foot hit the floor that I felt the severity of it. If I were being honest with myself, I would have noticed the subtle pain earlier, before it got worse. But, because I didn’t have time to be in pain, it went ignored for weeks. Now that the problem could not be pushed aside, I […]
I like lists. Like a lot. Perhaps that’s a weird statement, especially coming out of the mouth of very Type-B personality, but allow me to elaborate. I like crossing things off of massive to-do lists. I color coordinate them, and if you show even an ounce of interest in my day planner, get ready to listen to the explanation of all my pen colors and highlighters for the next five […]
I just got off the phone with a guy who’s a part of our college ministry who got some devastating news today. He just found out that his dad has inoperable brain cancer and probably only has 4-6 weeks to live. As soon as I picked up the phone, I knew something was wrong. I don’t know this guy well at all. We’ve only met in passing. But as he told me […]
They were bad eggs. At least that’s what I told my family when they found the entire sheet cake I had just baked in the trash can. Obviously, I explained, I was looking out for their best interest and health, and so naturally if there was any question about the contents of that cake it just had to go. That wasn’t the first time they had found my food in […]
It was late evening in Florida when I got the message– “Your mom had a stroke.” My brother’s girlfriend struggled to give me details from California as I messaged my best friend, “I need you,” and tried to control the tears. No God, please not her. New Year’s was spent rushing off to airports and praying in the sky, followed by sleepless nights in hospital chairs and decisions I never […]
There are times in life when you begin to wander, wondering if you’ll ever find your purpose. You search and pray and ache for the direction you know your life deserves, and still, you are left wanting and aimless. And then at your wedding, you and a group of talented friends come up with an idea that suddenly lights your wild on fire (that’s how it happened for me anyway). […]
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, hurdle! One, two, three four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen hurdle! Faster, faster, Coleen. I lengthened my stride, breathing in my nose and out my mouth. I rounded the home stretch of the 300 meter hurdles, taking the competition by just enough to gain about a stride lead. It was all I needed. […]
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