Intentional Living
Peace, and Feet Fitted with Readiness
Our sin-soaked selves can come before the throne of a holy God and be met with peace singularly because of Jesus. The gospel establishes readiness that equips us to navigate treacherous terrain with a firm grip on peace.
Tetelestai
With one word, he declared the gospel, comforted our restless hearts, and silenced the threat of death. With one word he defeated our fears of inadequacy, of never being enough, of hopelessness and of eternal separation. He ushered in life and offered freedom. As he was dying, he knew exactly what he was doing and exactly what he was saying.
Here I Am
Sometimes I wonder if in our deep desire to live a life of purpose and depth and meaning, we complicate obedience. What if we sat quietly before the Lord and whispered, “Here I am.” Willing availability. Unwavering trust in a God who prepares us and positions us to step into assignment with feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace.
Loved and Lovely
It’s a truth I hope to cultivate in my daughter as she grows into a woman who will eventually be prompted to evaluate what she sees. She will eventually order her loves in such a way that what she believes is lovely will be the backdrop to the way she evaluates beauty.
A Little Closer…
As children of the King, we were made for what is coming. We sure don’t have to celebrate when our hip starts hurting after a run, or our smile lines get deeper… but we can reframe it. We can shape our response with the truth that we are a little closer to the forevers we are promised with the One who loves us deepest.
Cultivating Hearts in Real Life
Shaping loves isn’t always fancy. It can take lots of raw, unimpressive moments that cumulatively do foundational work.
It Sure Did Fly…
When 72 years of marriage “sure did fly by,” you know this life is quick. So within this love story is a prompt. What story do you tell?
Pace and Strategic Recovery
Recovery is more than just taking a break. It’s not zoning out or scrolling social. Recovery is pouring life back into your heart, preparing you to run again.
Traveling Companions: Faithful and Hopeful
The people we journey with matters. Isn’t it true that our traveling companions flavor and even shape our lives with the outpourings of their hearts?! Reading through Pilgrim’s Progress with my kids has recently compelled a belief that we all need a Faithful and a Hopeful to journey with.
A Few Favorite Phrases – For the Kids
We’ve developed a few favorite phrases that we say a lot. This is especially helpful when you have boys that don’t have capacity to listen to mom offer a sermon… My word capacity is not their word capacity.
S.T.A.R. and Encountering God
We are a people who are invited to encounter God. Available here the STAR resource; to prompt intentional & strategic engagement with truth.
Come to Me
Ceaseless awareness is a beautiful way to live. But in those moments when we need rest, when we need to plow a particularly gargantuan field; let’s listen to the invitation we’re offered.
Sharpeners
Sharpeners are to be treasured, because not everyone will linger long enough to see your life, observe the beauty and recognize the vulnerabilities and gaps, and ALSO be willing to show them to you.
My Thoughts On IF:Gathering 2022
I just got back from Dallas about a week ago. I had planned to attend the IF conference, and my 7 husband decided it was a perfect opportunity to escape the grind of our normal routines, and take winter break in the middle of nowhere — also known as Point, TX. It was gloriously still. Beautifully quiet. Except for the coyotes… they were loud. But the point is that going into this conference my heart was rested, stilled, and ready to listen.
Transmission Troubles and Remembering
It’s Ash Wednesday, and there’s a whole lot of formal “remembering” happening right now. Takes me back to a moment last summer when God, in his good timing, prompted me to remember. We joke a lot about my husband’s “seven-ness” that seeps out of him on vacation. It...
Multum Non Multa and Moms
Before I took a break from blogging a few years ago, I announced that I would be taking the summer off of public writing to embrace “Festina Lente,” (Latin for “make haste slowly”). My plan was to strategize the next season of writing, because I love it here. And...
Little Stacks of Hope
When you build little stacks of hope for yourself, or as reminders of God’s grace to be lent hope, lent strength to those around you; we are stirred toward love and good deeds. Let’s whisper reminders of God’s faithfulness. Evidence of his grace. And carry on towards a summit.
Unexpected Unity
I saw unity once in a place that surprised me. And I think we were made for this… that it’s possible. And it’s all about what summit we’re climbing toward.
Testify
What story is your life telling? When people get around you, what message are they leaving with? This summer we wrapped up a trip to Utah. Hiking (along with the rest of the world during a pandemic) has become one of our favorite things to do. And while there is some...
This Changes Everything
“When you forget eternity, you tend to lose sight of what’s important. When you lose sight of what’s truly important, you live for what is temporary, and your heart seeks for satisfaction where it cannot be found.” — Paul Tripp If you could fill in the blank:...
Strategy and the Mid-Year Reflection Guide
Do you ever find yourself in a place where you have identified what matters to you; but simultaneously develop an uncanny sense that you could be doing better? Like running a race without stretching. You think you could probably be making stronger strides,...
Pushing Through Weariness
There is a story about weariness that isn’t often remembered for weariness. It’s one that compels me with his compassion because he knows exhaustion — because in my most noble of efforts I am quite often tired. And the God of the Bible comes after us, and he shows...
Mindset, Mission and My “Top 5” Recommendations
I just wrapped up a speaking engagement in Manhattan, Kansas, where I was gifted the chance to spend a beautiful and rich morning with some incredible women. Our topic was “Loving the Lasting,” in a world full of the temporary. A way of living fueled by a...
Purpose over Petty
One of the bazillion reasons I am falling in love with the practice of fixing my eyes on the eternal is because it is full of purpose. FULL of purpose. And aren’t our hearts burning for purpose? Rich and satisfying purpose. Purpose that can be found in pain, in...
Lingering on the Eternal Ushers in Hope and Rest
Nothing draws you to linger over the eternal with quite such strength and relevance as death. This summer, we lost my Mamaw; which we both grieved and celebrated (a remarkably compatible marriage of opposites). We’re currently playing the waiting game with my Papaw...
Lingering on the Eternal Changes our Definition of Success
Success is a value statement. Often it can even be a factor we consider when we evaluate the humans around us. It reminds me of the Max Lucado book; You are Special. It’s about a bunch of little wooden people called Wemmicks, making judgement calls on all the other...
The Eternal
I’m enamored with the idea of appreciating eternal things. Eternal. It’s attractive because the word itself is just radiating purpose and depth. It’s powerful because it matters -- and ultimately impacts our incentives. It’s a breath of life to the most mundane...
Qualifying Heroism
Heroes stand on a firm foundation of truth. They are life-givers. Heroes are… “admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities… regarded as a model or an ideal.” — dictionary.com I’ve never purchased a “gossip” magazine. I don’t...
So That…
If you really want to keep your finger on the pulse of your incentives to pray, simply answer the question: “so that…” what? If you receive what you ask for, what happens? What is the “root motivator” behind the words you utter before the God you acknowledge in the...
A Promise to Claim
After opening about 2.5 gifts (out of about 250) last Christmas, Cruz decided he was over it. While the gargantuan pile of goodies wrapped in ribbon and cacooned in Christmas paper all but jumped out at him, he contentedly played with the original squeal inducing...
Reaching the Summit and 50 Shades of Grey
How ambitious are you for the greatest kind of love? Valentine’s Day shared it’s glory with opening weekend of 50 Shades of Grey, inspired by a series reputed to be shockingly erotic — and currently has millions of people in an uproar. For equally as many reasons. ...
Love Protects
Almost 8 crazy, sweet, long, short, tumultuous, beautiful years ago I got married to this total stud. He’s hot you guys. And brilliant. I totally adore him and feel equally as adored — except on those days when he’s completely annoying to me and I’m totally...
Love Story Lament
My Dad performed a funeral last weekend for a beautiful woman in her 70’s who’s life was interrupted by cancer. Sorrowful stuff worthy of grief… but it was another tragic interruption from 10 years earlier that shook him. After 40 years of marriage her husband had...
A Prompting and a Pretzel
Interesting little thing happened yesterday. The kids were building a maze out of couch pillows with Brandon, and with everyone occupied I ventured out to the mall for a quick kid-free errand (I know, alone, a rarity but that’s not the interesting part). The wind...
My Response to: “Dear Church, Here’s Why People Are Really Leaving You.”
Recently there has been a lot of attention given to a post entitled, “Dear Church, Here’s Why People Are Really Leaving You.” It made me ache. It made me sad, really sad. It made me feel misunderstood and it made me frustrated. Just being honest. And it stuck...
People Change
People change. Whenever I hear someone utter the phrase “people don’t change, not really,” I can’t help but cringe a little. Because you guys, we do. It just seems to hopeless, so cynical to think we can’t evolve. Doesn’t it? Let’s have some reverence for free...
Two Truths About Resolution and Change
The thing that cracks me up about the New Year is that we often make these goals that just lend themselves to scrutiny. Pretty lofty ones sometimes. And we mean it… mostly anyway. I mean, one goal of mine was to improve the timing of my blog posts, but here I am on...
7 Things I Want My Boys To Know
Let’s face it — our world desperately needs men. Real men. When life is what hangs in the balance, we need someone to uphold truth and beckon life when darkness threatens. There are men like this, and I want to make sure there continues to be. And I think most of...
The Archer
I think my previously mentioned adoration for the Spartans is what induced my excitement over the thought that as a parent, I am an archer; a warrior. Parent for more than .5 seconds in this crazy world of ours and it doesn’t take long to embrace the warrior persona....
One Big Legacy Myth
If I “do life right,” parent brilliantly, and disciple intentionally; my kids and the people I care most about will take hold of what is good, true and right. Or alternatively; if I screw up on occasion, I will have doomed my kids and the people I influence to fail....
Leaving a Legacy — A View from 90
I love my Papaw. And he has made a mark on a tremendous number of people. After acknowledging a clear and certain call on his life, he went from being a brilliant mechanic to a passionate pastor. I’m pretty certain he has talked to more people about eternal stuff...
Leaving a Legacy – A View from 60
I cannot tell you how excited and honored I am to present these words from a brilliant man who also happens to be my Dad. He has been a critical player in 28 church plants, currently acts as the Executive Pastor at Hill Country Bible Church in Austin, Tx, and...
Leaving a Legacy
The story you are a part of does not start and end with your birth and death; rather, you are part of a series of life impacts. Your decisions, priorities, values; your efforts — they go way beyond your own life. Your value as an individual is tremendous, but your...
Do vs. Done
One of the most significant distinctions in the Christian faith is the “do versus done,” concept. To me, it’s also one of the most love-saturated truths. Yesterday, the boys and I came home to find our carbon monoxide alarms going off in the house. Awesome. The...
Two Whispers, Two Results
How many times do you laugh about a season of life that you are SO glad is over?! Like dating, your first job, junior high, the years you spent finding yourself. Usually you can spend hours with old friends laughing and reminiscing until the tears are freely falling...
A Desperate Heart
What are you desperate for? Desperation is prompted when we are acutely aware of that which we are lacking and also believe to be essential. And it typically evokes action. When we are utterly convinced of a need for something we are compelled to take active steps...
2 Kinds of Treasure
I posted recently about how alas, the coveted asset of control belongs to basically no one. But… yes, thank God there is a “but;” there are a handful of precious things we DO control. There are some obvious controllables related to our intentionality in life; but...
Control, Submission, and the Chicago Air Traffic Control Center
I used to be categorized as a pretty flexible, undemanding, mostly spontaneous person. Gone are those days. I have become sort of type A. Not by nature, by absolute necessity. Because I have kids — whom I love and adore and would like to see into adulthood; so the...
Why We Need Boundaries With Social Media
I was on the hunt for a white v-neck t-shirt yesterday (I know, I’m crazy fashionable), and on my way to the Gap I had the privilege of passing by the Apple Store. Holy Black Friday on a random Saturday. I guess since the iPhone 6 has been released everyone on...
Quotes
This post is very different from my others. Mostly because it has the opportunity to develop with time. You already know how I feel about words. They are powerful. And in our lives we get a slew of them (some by choice, some a natural byproduct of life) which...
It’s A Season
Today it was easy to be content. SO easy. This morning the air was crisp and cool, the sun was bright, and the wind at bay. The boys threw rocks into the lake that literally seemed to sparkle, and as they laughed and played I sipped my coffee, hugged my sweatshirt...
Top 5 Take-Away’s from the Global Leadership Summit
Last Thursday and Friday my brain was pelted with a barrage of brilliant leadership insights. I’m still recovering from “PGLSBB” (Post Global Leadership Summit Brain Barrage). In case my smile is not clear — I LOVED it. So did my hubs. It is SO good to get away...
Cindy Hawks — 2 Essential Eternal Behaviors, PART 2
In part 1 we got to know Cindy Hawks and consider her insights on the topic of discipling. Buckle up friends, there's more... Having “vision” is a catchy phrase these days. It’s tough to find a podcast or leadership book that doesn’t lead with the charge to have...
Cindy Hawks — 2 Essential Eternal Behaviors PART 1
Cindy Hawks’ every word drips with intention and points to her passion for the eternal. I spent a glorious hour (that felt like 5 minutes) asking her questions and digging into her thoughts on the topic of living intentionally with an eternal perspective. The...
Forte Transition – Melissa’s Story
We are deeply mistaken if we believe living in our “forte,” never evolves or transitions. As my insightful friend, Melissa (who’s story we are about to unwrap) pointed out to me, even Jesus faced a life with sharp transition. It’s interesting to me that the One who...
Forte Development: The Crescendo
I believe that living in your forte is one of the most satisfying places you can be. Never is hard work more personally satisfying and generally it’s the place where you would willingly pull from your reserve energy tank. But we don’t typically wake up one day...
Living in Your Forte
We were made for big stuff. Eternal stuff. Each of us were built with a place in our hearts where there is a quiet stirring wrestling within; something that twists and turns and squirms inside the chambers of our hearts that groans to be acknowledged and let loose. ...
Discontent
Discontent is a push that drives us into our forte. It begs that we act. It is a violent stirring in your soul that speaks as a megaphone to alert you of a deep need to pay attention - you were created to do something about this. When I really need my boys to...
Living Intentionally and Choreographed Chaos
If you want to see what choreographed chaos looks like, walk into the back room of a Bath and Body Works on Black Friday. It’s terrifying and beautiful at the same time. Black Friday to a consumer is like a full moon to a werewolf. The people you normally regard as...
Pool of Truth
What is your heart bathing in? From what source are you immersing your mind? We all soak something up to restore ourselves amidst the pollutants of the heart we are assaulted by, and we are wise to consider the source. What is breathing life (or something else) into...
Three Steps to Getting to Know God’s Voice
Ever want that “letter” from God telling you exactly what to do in a weighty situation? “Hey Sally Sue, Yes, I want you to move to Tahiti. – God” (That’s my dream letter). Or maybe you’re staring at a wave of voices and opinions and influences; all cascading down...
Life at Its Fullest Measure
I think the most devastating reality we could face would be that we missed out on the great mission and purpose and full life that God has in mind for us; that we would sacrifice the eternal for the moment, and that we would be content with the substitution over the real thing.
The Easy Way or the Hard Way
When Roman trusted me, when he opened his hand and allowed me to work out the splinter, his trust was reinforced. And our relationship with God is the same way – when we open up our wounded hearts and allow him to work, our trust in him is reinforced.
Unseen and Eternal
I believe an eternal perspective changes everything. We all have to make a decision about what we believe about eternity. And about what we believe is eternal. It impacts the way we work, the way we play, the way we parent, protect, apply boundaries, engage with people, the way we love. It alters the way we experience relationships, consider poverty, and perceive wealth. It dictates our goals, our mission in life, our visions for the future and our hopes. It changes our priorities. It guides our way of thinking in EVERYTHING we do.
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