Finding Hope in “Ugh” Moments

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“Mama said there’d be days like this, there’d be days like this, my mama said.” The Shirelles pop group reminded us of this 60+ years ago. Thousands of years ago, Jesus told us the same thing: “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.” (John 16:33) Even though we know that “ugh” days are part of life, they still mess with us, right? This morning I’m working through recent “days like this.” I thought I’d share some of the key promises and perspectives I’m inviting into them, because … You’ve been here too, Continue Reading

Courage Isn’t a Feeling – It’s an Action

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Playing piano has always been my thing. Singing? Not so much. (I’m great at finding the harmony, but I’m definitely not solo material.) So, I surprised even myself when I stepped up to pinch-hit with a vocal solo some years back. Traveling with a girls’ choir from an Adult & Teen Challenge center in New York came with its own set of adventures—equal parts chaos, heartwarming moments, and downright fun.  As a staff member, I was one of the van drivers, the performance prep coach, and the one standing in the back of the room, Continue Reading

A Prayer for Hurting Hearts

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A reminder from my heart to yours: In the chaos, conflict, disasters – when hearts hurt, and the noise and tragedies are overwhelming – we can still find Jesus. I don’t mean this as a cliché or an easy platitude that brushes past the pain; it’s a true and steady reminder that even in the deepest struggles, Jesus is with us. You and I have friends who are hurting. It might be for a million different reasons, but the impact is the same: hearts hurt. So. Let’s reach out to those friends. Remind them that Jesus is right there with Continue Reading

Too Much Blah Blah Blah

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A couple weeks ago I shared thoughts about the intense, tough news that is filling our air waves—and our responsibility to balance it with the good news. I’m still thinking about that. I’m reminded of a chapter I wrote in This is Livin’: Learning to Move from Messy Moments to Happy Places. The memory of sitting on a plane, listening to and writing about the overwhelming blah blah blah behind me is still fresh on my mind. And the Aha! lesson it left me with is still so relevant today. Since I can’t stop thinking about it, I’m sharing Continue Reading

Bring the News

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“Tonight. Breaking news as we come on the air.” David Muir begins his ABC World News Tonight broadcast with that same sentence every weeknight. I feel his intensity in my bones, see the piercing focus in his eyes, hear the low hum of danger in his voice, and I can’t decide if I should shut off the TV, or brace for impact. Instead, I’ve just started talking back to him. “Yes, David. Something bad has happened and you’re going to tell us all about it.” “Can you share anything besides tragedy at the top of the hour?” “Is it Continue Reading

Capture the Snapshots

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A new, colorful notebook seems to whisper, “Fill me with moments and ideas you don’t want to forget”—it’s hard to resist that invitation, isn’t it? There’s something about that cool, smooth feel of a clean sheet of white paper (narrow-ruled, not College-ruled), that sparks joy. Add a few different colors of ink, and those blank pages practically beg to be filled with thoughts, quotes, and memories—a handwritten time capsule waiting to happen. But journaling? It’s never really been my thing. Maybe it’s because the so-called “experts” Continue Reading

Hope Comes in the Messiness

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“This is a good life—my heart is glad, my soul is full of joy, and my body is at rest. Who could want for more? … You direct me on the path that leads to a beautiful life. As I walk with You, the pleasures are never-ending, and I know true joy and contentment.” David originally wrote those words as a personal, private meditation, known to us as Psalm 16:9-11. It became one of his “miktams”—a “golden meditation dealing with truth so significant it should be preserved forever.” (Exploring the Psalms, John Phillips) Truth so significant Continue Reading

What if you Choose…

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An Instagram post by Pastor Derwin Gray, addressed to pastors, stopped me in my tracks. Here’s the quote: “Pastor, Lead like Jesus rose from the dead, preach like the Gospel is true, and pray like God still parts seas.” Oh my. There is power in those words, right?  Even if we aren’t pastors, that prayer can be our invocation as we move into our day. Consider how our daily choices, words and responses would shift! We’d face every conversation, messy moment, and disappointment with hope, knowing that we are loved by a Continue Reading

Embrace Life’s Good Things

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Hi there! Just a quick note: If your women’s group is looking for a speaker who shares biblical messages with encouragement, stories, and a touch of humor, I’d love to be considered. Spring events are already popping up so let’s connect! Thanks!  A few moments that filled my heart over the past couple of weeks … My sisters and I spent a weekend celebrating the release of my new book, “Anticipate God’s Goodness: Letters of Encouragement to Ignite Your Spirit.” Most of our time was spent laughing and poking fun at our own life Continue Reading

Why Bother?

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Lean in and read some words of encouragement! And don’t miss my question at the end – I’d love to hear from you. Laugh lines and wrinkles? No problem—they’re proof I’ve truly lived. But this chin hair invasion creeping up my cheeks? Never thought I’d need to be plucking the sides of my face! Last week I pulled into the dentist’s parking lot and checked the visor mirror for a quick presentability scan. But then I thought, Why bother? She’s going to be looking straight into my mouth—a sight that’s far from presentable! And then. My Continue Reading

Make a Bigger Circle

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When there’s not enough room in the circle, we just make a bigger circle. Last week I visited the adorable small town known as Gnometown USA (AKA Dawson, MN).  It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced a town that felt so much like a community. After speaking to two groups on Thursday, I got up Friday morning and headed for Gnometown Grounds, the local café, bakery and gift shop. That visit was a gift straight from the heavens. Emma, the café’s owner, was helping me pull together a collection of all-things-gnome that I wanted to Continue Reading

Farming Lessons

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I learned it first in farming. Farmers and families coming together when the fields were ready for harvest and the rain was coming tomorrow as sure as the sun would come up. Trucks and combines moving across dusty gravel roads in single file and descending on someone’s farm to help them get their crop in. Then the John Deeres and Massey Fergusons caravanning to the next farm with ears tuned in to weather reports while turning on lights to break through the dusk, and men and women in overalls praying for just a couple more Continue Reading

Show Up. Speak Up.

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It was comical to watch. Even now, many years later, I chuckle when I replay those moments in my brain while I remember the excruciating discomfort my sister was experiencing. It's the time when my youngest sister Lori was trying to sell health and cleaning products from the booth at the county fair (better known, very fondly, as the Fertile Fair). The back story: In addition to teaching and farming, mom and dad had a successful direct sales business. Mom really managed the business, and she invited, encouraged, expected my sisters Continue Reading

Encouragement Coming Your Way!

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I’ve got a word of encouragement for you, but first I gotta’ tell you … My new book is done and it’s available to YOU! Imagine what your everyday life could look like if, instead of waiting for life to show up, you showed up and discovered life! This collection of letters from me to you brings a big dose of encouragement from God’s Word, and stories infused with wit and humor. I really think you’re going to like it! God has really good things planned for you. Anticipate His goodness! You’ll find the book on Amazon. And may I Continue Reading

A Prayer for You

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Sometimes we just don’t know what to pray, right? Our hearts are hurting – we aren’t even sure what’s wrong. But we know we need to talk to Jesus. I’ve written a short prayer that you may find helpful when you’re struggling to find prayer-words. And … I bet you have a friend who could use some words too, right? Please forward this email to them. You can click on this link to get the prayer in a beautiful, colorful download – save it, print it, share it. I’ll write the words below. From my heart to yours … Give Me Continue Reading

It’s a New Day

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One simple message has clearly been on my mind the last few weeks … We can always start again. Every day is a new day. And … isn’t that the message of Jesus? We don’t need to live in the past, in regrets and mistakes. He came to this earth to give us a NEW, full, abundant life. And perhaps you’re thinking what I’m thinking … it’s time we stepped into that new life. Completely. It’s time that we accepted His love and forgiveness. It’s time that we anticipate God’s goodness. So. From my heart to yours … It’s a new day. And Continue Reading

Ask for Directions

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Growing up in Minnesota’s Red River Valley means that you lived in a beautiful, very, very flat section of God’s country. You can look in any direction for miles and see only land. Flat land. Flat fields. With trees surrounding the farmhouses and fields. Knowing how to find someone’s farm simply required you to know how many gravel roads to pass by, which mailboxes to notice, how long the gravel road was, and what the formation of the trees surrounding the farmhouse looked like. That was all fine and dandy when I was driving to my Continue Reading

Change Tracks and Start Again

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Good grief. Ugh. Ooftah. Yeah, all the words. Hang in there … encouragement is coming! Sometimes life just feels hard, doesn’t it? There’s a local cargo train that runs past our house twice a day. When it goes by, it shakes everything up a bit. We’ve gotten used to its rumblings, so although we sure know it’s traveling past, it’s not a big deal. But a few days ago, that train went by, and it didn’t sound or feel like an in-town train with a few flatbeds carrying lumber, comfortably rolling through the neighborhood, tooting its Continue Reading

Hope and Melodramas

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I think melodramas were the impetus behind daytime soaps and reality TV. Think about it. Going back a whole lot of years, those stage plays offered what captures our attention today when we peek into the living rooms of families in “real life” situations, right? The emotional scenes, over the top situations, and characters who draw us in with facial expressions and whispers. Intense drama. A plot that doesn’t remotely seem possible. A villain. Heroine. Emotional baggage that needs to be delivered by cargo ship. We desperately long Continue Reading

An Invitation For you

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I’ll share a note of encouragement in just a moment, but first, I’ve got an invitation. I’m working on a project for you that will accompany my book release in September. As I’m working on it behind the scenes during the next few weeks, you are invited to join a waitlist to be the first to know all the details when it launches! AND … I’d love your opinion on a couple things as I develop it! Want in on sharing your feedback and getting first peeks? Just REPLY to this email with YES! Oh, I hope you reply YES! I’m excited to share a Continue Reading

Summer Storms

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Life has been filled with summer sunshine, lots of laughter, and friendship connections. And, it’s also had its share of “bad weather” for people I care about. This week my heart is thinking a lot about friends who are in the middle of some tough summer storms. The kind of storms that don’t end overnight. If things are pretty stormy for you right now, please let these words encourage you. If your days have some sunshine in them, would you please share this with a friend who needs to feel seen? Who needs to remember God’s promise Continue Reading

Wearing My Yellow Boots

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Today I choose life. Have you ever had a phrase – words of encouragement from a friend, words from a book, or words that God places on your heart – and you just know that you need to pay attention to them? You can almost feel the message behind the words? That’s how those words felt this morning. Today I choose life. Along with the words came the nudge: live like it then. Live like you’re choosing life. It’s a rainy day here, so when you look out the window you see a lot of gray. And clouds. Nothing too bright. And yet … With Continue Reading

He Knows Where You’re Going

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Hey, hi! It’s been an exciting week here. I finished writing my new book and now it’s in the talented hands of the designers! Yippee! I’m excited about this book—the stories, the Bible messages, the encouragement—and am looking forward to telling you more about it. And … writing can be hard! You’ve probably experienced something like this: You’ve stayed focused on a project for a while. Maybe it’s writing, or lots of time cooking, balancing a frustrating checkbook, riding in a car, too many meetings scheduled, or even visiting Continue Reading

The Branch is a Good Place to Be

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Have you had a moment like this? You’re reading a verse in the Bible that you’ve read a gazillion times before, but this time when you read it, it reads differently. The words are no longer black, small font letters on tissue-thin paper, and the message isn’t one to skim because it’s familiar. Instead, the words are posted on an extra-large, industrial-strength freeway banner, written in bright red letters highlighted in neon yellow. The message grabs my attention and says Don’t miss this! These words caused me to pull-off my Continue Reading

Sitting by Still Waters

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“Spring makes your spirit tingle with energy and bright optimism, like you swallowed a sunrise.” Jennifer Dukes Lee writes those words in her beautiful book, Growing Slow: Lessons on Un-Hurrying your Heart from an Accidental Farm Girl. Along with the refreshment that comes with the cool breezes and colored-once-again scenery, spring invites us to set aside the bulk and clutter and embrace simple and easy. Doesn’t it? My heart and mind are leaning into slowing down. Finding a new rhythm that creates joy in the ordinary. A to-do Continue Reading