Category Archives: My Thought Closet

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How to 4:8 Your Thoughts

A few years ago, I sat—did I say “sat?”—I meant, I was stuck in front of a little girl and her daddy on an airplane. We’d been glued to the tarmac for 45 minutes when we were told for the fourth time that we were delayed again. Ugh.

I blew out a frustrated breath and fumed about everything that was wrong with this airline. I just knew that the past 45 minutes would turn into another 45 minutes and then into four hours and five hours and then … deep breath … I’d miss my connection, be stuck in Chicago and, well, that’s enough. You get the idea. I was not a happy woman.

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Be Still and Know That You’re Not God

What would happen if you just got still? Would the world as you know it fall apart? Would you?


Sometimes we stay busy to outrun our fear of failure or keep us distracted from thinking. Sometimes, when we are overwhelmed by sorrow or stress, we just long to fix something, clean something … you know, do something!

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3 Ways to Get Your Happy On

Do you ever choose a word for the year? I do! I pick one so I can take the whole year to learn it, live it, receive it, and understand it!

So, what was my word for this year?

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Happy.

Not long after I picked that word, though, I broke my finger and my hero dad passed away. Those aren’t exactly ingredients for happiness, huh?

A broken finger was a painful annoyance, but losing my dad broke my heart. Even so, in the midst of it all, I am still learning what it means to be happy.

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What Brave Women Say to Themselves

Before I lost my hero dad, I had no idea grief would make me feel fatigued and hollow. There were many days I thought, “I can’t do this” or “I can’t face this.”

And then, I thought about my mom.

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The strength I see in my mom is beyond what I imagine possible. Dad was her best friend. For 55 years, they did life and ministry together. Now, she is alone.

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What to Do When You Doubt God

On the road of faith, we all encounter “Thomas times”—bumps full of doubt. Some of us jump right over them, while others may stumble, falling into a pit of confusion. And the result … we become a Doubting Thomas.

I’ve been Thomas and I bet you have too, or you know someone who is right now.

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There is no shame if you struggle with doubt. God invites your questions and wants to turn your confusion into clarity just like He did for Thomas.

Imagine what it was like for Thomas when Jesus, His Master and Friend, was crucified? The shock, the sorrow—but maybe he wasn’t simply a doubter; maybe he was a seeker … an honest seeker?

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What Comfort Looks Like When Your Heart Is Broken

On February 18th, my whole world changed. My hero dad closed his eyes to this world and opened them to heaven.

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I had no idea grief felt so much like fatigue. I didn’t know it would make me feel hollow. My brain knew what death was, but my heart was unaware that death was such a tearing—and an emptying.

Even though it’s been a few weeks, I am still stupefied by the fog I am walking through. It just feels thick and like life should be in slow motion.

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2 Ways to Renew Your Mind Daily

My dad always told me that confession is good for the soul. Maybe … but it can also be very bad for the reputation. Even so, I’m risking my reputation with you by letting you in on a little secret.

Ready? Here goes.

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I have an obsession … with the burners on my stove. I’m driven to keep them spotless and gleaming.

Now that I own a gas stove, this dysfunctional issue may not require therapy, but it wasn’t always this way. I once hovered over the burners on my electric range—the pans, rims, and surface beneath were all targets of my compulsion.

Now, before you put me on your prayer list, let me explain.

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The 4 C’s of Bible Study

I don’t know how it is with you when you read Scripture, but often my mind wanders.

You know, one second I am reading about Moses on Mt. Sinai, and the very next second I am wondering where my black yoga pants are and why my mail is now being delivered at 3:00 instead of noon! Can I get a witness?

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Sometimes focus is hard.

So, here is an easy (and by easy, I mean easy) way to stay focused as you read Scripture.

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2 Ways to Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

Hot dogs. I do not like hot dogs. I’m sorry if you are a “dog” lover, but I just can’t stomach the things!

That is, except when I was pregnant with both of our sons. Oh, girl, then I actually craved hot dogs. I couldn’t get enough of them, and personally downed a minimum of a pack a week.

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For all my experience with the fabulous franks, however, I had no idea that I really didn’t know how to eat them! I learned, though. Boy, did I learn!

And it was my son, Connor, who taught me—back when he was only four years old.