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I was pretty sure I knew how to do life-together with friends when life all happened on time, working as it should. Late night hangouts and laughing until your sides split, interspersed with the occasional "God story" and prayer request. We shared clothes and coffee...

I was in my second year out of college and full of zeal and opinion. After all, you only have one life to live on the earth -- eighty years at best. Whose story would be linked back to my impact, in eternity? I'd change the world for God in my twenties. Except I was...

If you've been around my blog for a while, you've heard me mention Amy Julia Becker.  Amy Julia and I were, first, friends by default, as our husbands lived together in college. But since, we have formed a sweet and separate friendship, where she's encouraged me at...

This December we fill the base of a thirsty Christmas tree with water. It's hanging on for just a few more days. We sing hymns by the fire while the littles wrap their fingers around big mugs of hot chocolate. My house is full of anticipation. We tromp through a live...

Before I share this very personal post, let me tell you that not one of these posts goes up without Nate’s eyes first reading them. And this post below, especially, I might as well call *our* post, not just mine. I wrote the words, but we both are living them. I chose...

We’d been home for months when this curious stranger approached me with eyes full of questions. “Where are they from?” and “Are they siblings?” and “Are they all yours?” stumbled out of her mouth. I was trying to shield little ears from hearing when she looked at my...

He went fishing. Days before, we'd sat around a table of those to whom we'd entrusted the most broken parts of ourselves. He stared at his hands and I tried to look through the expressions of these ones who spoke tough love, wondering if they had hope for us. Could...

It was Sunday and we were ready. Early! The babe was in his brand-new fall overalls and my girls were color-clad. Caleb had time to find his belt. I didn’t just curl my hair, I wore lipstick and put on perfume too. We walked into church and they were singing my song....

She was a babe, naked to all that the world can steal but with an infant life that was stolen, nonetheless. Loss was her lot. She has no early memories of gain. So He hid her. But she didn't know it. My former-orphan was protected, but spent her nights wide-eyed,...

"If Mommy gets a baby in her belly, will you send me back?" she asked him, with nervous eyes searching the floor, inhaling the shame of those words as if they were her indictment. It's often near the surface for this one -- not the year she was "chosen" and a mommy...