Relationships
We were made to do life on life. We were made to know and be known. But this is messy work, and since we are a largely lonely generation, how can we do this better? How can we not just co-exist, but actually sharpen one another? Encourage and enlist one another? How can we collaborate and conquer? Since people really do last forever, we’re investing in a worthy pouring out of our lives to do this well. Let’s find our people and enjoy the beauty of mutual revelation.
Oriented
Rollercoasters and floods can prove disorienting. But there are things that can orient our hearts and speak truth when we don’t have eyes to see it.
Practical Ways to Comfort & Mourn with Those who Mourn
Part of doing life is enduring all things. It may feel weird to get practical when it comes to raw, but strategic thinking coupled with a compassionate heart could bless the lives of your people as you mourn together.
Coming Alongside the Broken and Burdened
Sometimes we get front row seats to our people’s deepest pain. For those who are in proximity to tragedy, we can come alongside with hope.
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?
Parenting with an Enneagram 7 — 7 Things to Know
Maybe you have grown your tribe of two into one including children… and an entirely new level of 7-ness has been birthed in the wake of their entrances. Parenting is an adventure no matter what. Parenting with a 7 is breathless wonder. After about 12 years of parenting together, there are some things I’ve come to expect.
The Eternal CG
Five women sat together, hunkered into a couch and chairs in Dallas, TX, while I hopped on a zoom call to hear their hearts on their unique friendship. You guys… they let me crash their girl’s night for this interview — and they were fun.
The Cost of Friendship
Great friendships are costly. Like anything worthy of depth and value they aren’t cheap, or causal. They last… because investments have been made that build relational equity rich with history and understanding, shared moments and common cares. They thrive because life was poured out for it.
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.
The God Who Sees
All over scripture we see the phrase “looking at them,” or “turning his gaze towards them,” or when Jesus saw…” We know one thing for sure, Jesus did not avoid his people. Maybe you wonder at his interest. Maybe you aren’t sure where you stand before him. Maybe you aren’t sure he would look directly into your eyes if given the choice, so it may be of interest to see some examples of a variety of people he engaged. They are imperfect. So are we. He is still looking.
Hesed Loyalty
I can think of few gifts more powerful than to know there is an unwavering love that does not hinge on moment by moment valuations of an offering, or even calculated chemistry, but a steadfastness of love that endures.
6 Anchors For Mom Life
In my whole life, I have never been so simultaneously exhausted and filled to overflowing from the effort of raising my little people. So there are some anchors I cling to and would encourage you with, as Moms of eternal humans.
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.
Friendships With Fortitude
If you could put together a list of your deepest longings for friendship, what would you include? If people are eternal, then they’re immeasurably valuable. So let’s linger here, because it’s worthy.
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...
Married to a 7 — 7 Things to Know
Marriage is always a ride. Always. There’s a good reason why we stand, love-struck, before an altar and say some things about sticking together in the face of every extreme possibility. But for those of us married to enneagram 7’s… well, it sure does seem like the...
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.
Team Taylor
That handsome man you see in the picture just happens to be my husband. He's my favorite. We just celebrated 11 years of marriage by sitting cage-side at an Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event he was working in Chicago. Truth. Nothing says romance like deciphering the...
7 Things I Want My Daughter to Know
I wrote a post for my little men in 2014; that inspired this — a post for my daughter. There are days that I look at our world in all of it’s glories and all of it’s gore and I think, this world of ours desperately needs women — great women. Not instead of or...
Self Reliance and the Danger of Drowning
Foamy splashes of salt water breaking over my face is what woke me up to the reality of my situation. It was all I could see in every direction and I wasn’t alone. From my perch on a splintered piece of driftwood I searched the waters around me, silently; eyes wide...
People are Eternal, a Reflection on Identity
Last post I stated that lingering on the eternal changes our relationships. I don’t think it’s rocket science to say that people matter. You don’t have to believe in eternal things to value people. But something does change when we perceive people as forever...
My Honest Agenda
I have an agenda. Let me start with that honest truth. I love to write, but I cannot say that I am the best at it. I love God, but there are people who love him more. I love considering the eternal, but there is so much I still have to learn. I am no professional...
I Am With You
“Shhhhh. I’m here.” If you’ve been a parent for longer than labor you have absolutely showered your baby with this promise. Because it would take the apocalypse to come between the two of you if he showed the faintest of needs. So you know the fierce love behind...
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...
The Mask
Ever consider a certain trait you exhibit and wish you could maybe just tweak it a little? There comes a point when our eyes are opened to the risk of vulnerability — and we have a choice about what we’re going to do with that reality and we tremble a little at the...
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...
5 Reasons the Midwest Rocks
I had a goal one winter of not being cold. Not to the bone at least. I wanted to be at least borderline comfortable, like my hands wouldn’t typically feel like ice - this abruptly changed when I had kids, because when you have to strap 2 kids into their 5 point...
Here’s Your Cape
There are some very real moments in life that are seriously blow your mind insanely deserving of credit for going above and beyond normal human capacities and into superhero status. Seriously. But usually no one notices and if they do the reaction is something...
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...
Mom’s of Boys (MOB’s)
I am a Mom of boys (MOB). It’s straight crazy and I love it. Moms of girls - I don’t think I fully understand your days. Though I was a small girl once myself, I currently do not do dolls, quiet playtime (for more than 5 seconds), or meander through the zoo taking...
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...
Grace and Cutting People Slack
We all need grace don’t we? Life is a journey, and sometimes we need people to laugh, shrug stuff off, and cut us some slack — because truthfully speaking rarely are any two people at the exact same point in their journey and nobody has access to the depths of our...
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...
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...
Two Truths About Angels
There is a LOT of speculation offered when it comes to the topic of supernatural beings, specifically angels. I have no intention of declaring myself an expert on a topic which I cannot say I have relentlessly pursued; but I find myself, like many others, intrigued...
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...
Heaven Is For Real — Right?
Heaven Is For Real, by Todd Burpo, came out on November 2, 2012 and has since captured the interest of millions. According to Wikipedia, within 3 weeks of it’s release, the book debuted at No. 3 on the New York Times bestseller list. By January 2011, there were...
Why Does God Want To Be Known?
God wants to be known. All over scripture he went to great lengths to make people aware of who he was. In the Old Testament, a variation of the phrase: “Then they will know that I am the Lord,” is used 88 times. 65 times in Ezekiel alone. Most of the time it was...
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...
Stuff that Makes Us Crazy – “Spikes” Awards
Life is crazy because people are crazy. I mean seriously, incalculably, unpredictably, straight crazy. And not always in a bad way, but in a “wow, that just happened” kind of way. To support this perspective I’ll add that a few years ago we woke up one morning to...
Revealing Beauty, a Pursuit Rewarded
Women are wired with a desire to reveal beauty. Now there are days (and I don’t think I’m alone) when 4:30 rolls around and I’m still in my “comfy clothes”… ok fine – PJ’s. But I will bust out my best effort to actually USE my curling iron, put on something that...
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...
Forsaken
It means to be abandoned or deserted; which infers an interruption of sorts. The one forsaken wasn’t alone to begin with. My own instinct is to assume (in most cases) a devastating separation, or rejection. Which is what caught my eye and compelled me to linger as...
God Answers Us
God Answers Us God answers us. His response is always intentional, always soaked in love, always trustworthy. When we demonstrate interest in hearing from him, he takes pleasure in making himself known. When he speaks, we can expect that his personal response will...
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...
God Speaks part 2 – The Relationship
Think of someone you love – if you were to hear them speak even in a crowd of people, you wouldn’t even have to see them to assuredly affirm their presence. You know their voice because you have heard it frequently. You know their heart because you spend time with them, invest in them, and have built a history with them.
God Speaks
God Speaks. It’s true. It’s huge. The fact that we have access to and ability to hear from the God who with a word created the universe is a tremendous 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.
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