The sun reflected off my blonde hair like a beacon, inviting strangers to stare. On the busy Asian street, the locals strained their necks to see me, a foreign teenager with light hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. Many approached cautiously, reaching their hands out, requesting to...
I stared out the window of the moving train, mesmerized by the unfamiliarity of everything before me. The writer in me longed to pull out my phone and document the foreign nature of this place. Reaching for it, I glanced around the train. No one else...
Do any of these sound familiar? "I'm a failure." "I'm a disappointment." "I'm weak." "I'm nothing." Or maybe you hear “I’m all by myself. I’m unlovable. I’m not good enough.” We all have lies we hear in our minds, sometimes on constant replay. These lies are accusations, not from God, but whispers straight...
With each stop, people got on but no one seemed to be getting off. The crowded train continued rapidly from stop to stop. One by one, people squeezed on to the train barely making eye contact with one another. The passengers all headed in the same...
If you've ever picked up a Bible, read a few passages, and quietly set it back down feeling confused or frustrated… you're not alone. Scripture can feel hard to understand. Some stories are complex. Some passages challenge our modern thinking. And sometimes we’re left wondering, "What...
I could feel the flood of emotions welling up inside of me. Searching the crowded room, I prayed the tears would stay tightly packed behind my eyelids. I had no desire to explain why I was crying to the women I see weekly at my...
My daughter had a difficult test coming up and spent several evenings studying. Remembering details and dates across a large amount of information was challenging. As I encouraged her to break it down into smaller pieces, I suggested she write out the hardest facts. Taking pen to...
The view outside my window is blanketed in white. Schools and businesses are closed, and for once, there’s no reason to rush out of our cocoon. This pause feels like a gift - white space to rest without guilt when the world itself slows down. Rest is...
Looking right at me, she said, “Would you mind speaking at our next meeting?” I inhaled sharply. There was no way she could know about the tongue-tied, sweaty ball of nerves I became when speaking in front of an audience. It hadn’t always been this way. In school,...