We were just kids: 14 and 16 years old. A freshman and a junior. We went to the same high school and the same church. John was the leader of our campus Christian club. ANGEL: The first time I met him I thought, “That’s the man I want to marry.” We married at 19 and...
We are really good at running fast-paced lives. We fill our calendars with commitments and obligations. We can do it all. Meet all the deadlines, show up for all the people in our lives. We are really good at saying “yes”. In fact, “yes” is highly...
Don’t hug a cactus! That should be lesson #1 from the desert. Lesson #2 would be to always carry enough water. Those two lessons can also hold true when it comes to dealing with difficult, or “prickly”, people. The truth is while many people will never see a cactus...
An intimate message from God to YOU. What is Father's Love Letter?Father's Love Letter is a compilation of paraphrased Bible verses from Genesis to Revelation that are presented in the form of a love letter from God to you. This simple message of love...
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” Psalm 103:8 The human heart has such an incredible capacity, yet such an unbelievable fragility. It can love and it can lose. It can carry hope and also hurt. It...
On the podcast this week, my friend Robin Blumenthal tells a story of being on a boat with friends when she was asked to drop the anchor. So, she did. Not being an experienced boater, she let the anchor down into the water without first checking to see if it was tied...
A few years ago, I was living a double life. The “seen” Valerie was a leader in ministry, friendly, engaging, and seemed to have it all together. Then there was the “unseen” Valerie who was acting out in fits of rage toward her family; battling anxiety,...
For most of my adult life, I have felt that my story was my enemy. My story was heavy, like chains that shackled me to shame, denial, and fear. If I could just hide from it or outrun it, then I could live the life that I longed to live. So I kept striving, running...
What a wonderful way to start the month of April, right on the heels of Easter!! Easter is always a sweet reminder that Jesus conquered the grave and death! It was not the end of His story and it’s not the end of yours either!! With this in mind, let’s take a look at...