My parents were extraordinary, brilliant, loving, and wise people—but they had some issues and were very self-consumed. This left me with an early void of healthy leadership that had real ramifications. At different times in my life, I have somewhat compulsively sought the counsel (or validation) of others—friends, mentors, bosses, sponsors, pastors. God says it’s wise to seek godly counsel and foolish to seek the counsel of scoffers, the proud, the wicked, the self-wise, or

🎄 Merry, Merry Christmas! 🎄 Thank you for hanging with me through this tumultuous and deeply spiritually fruitful season. I’m truly grateful for you—for your presence, your prayerful engagement, and your openness to the work God is doing in our hearts. Before I take a prayerful pause  as we move into the New Year, I wanted to share the final posts from this past week — reflections rooted in Christ’s peace, presence, and surprising grace. You can always find these and more a

A friend reached out recently, heartbroken at the loss of a beloved dog after losing another only a few months earlier. I asked him how he was doing. He said, “Flailing—but in the right direction.” I love that. So true to my experience. And so instructive. Another friend recently shared how she hit a painful bottom after the death of her longtime companion. Brought to her literal knees—after many less anguished years of faithful prayer—she persevered, crying out to God for re

During my morning quiet time, God dropped a visual into my mind. Imagine if you didn’t believe chairs were reliable, and you had a paralyzing fear of chairs or even merely of sitting. Imagine if you went through life with deep-seated doubts about the security of chairs of any kind or the safety of sitting at all. Since there’s a lot of sitting involved in many of our lives, this would be a real issue. By the way, these are rare but real phobias: Kathisophobia (fear of sitting

Join me in praying for those who feel intense loneliness right now. 🙏🏽💖 Sometimes our wilderness is voluntary. Sometimes it's not. Either way, God invites us to reframe it as a chance to draw more deeply from Christ’s infinite well of love, joy, healing, peace, and purpose. Just like the woman at the well—who sought satisfaction through relationships—Jesus astonishes us with His mercy and can fully quench our thirst when we seek Him. In turn, we can point others to the Wel

I often share about my son Isaac, who is a precious object lesson about so many spiritual truths. He teaches me a lot. Isaac has Down Syndrome, and he has given me countless insights, particularly about love. I can only describe the quality of his love as Divine, and I believe that people with unique abilities are indeed closer to heaven than the rest of us Now 15, Isaac still greets me with a wistfl or joyful “Mama”, as though I’d been away for a long time. His voice is full

Bearing the Burden of Seeing Discernment is one of the most beautiful—and one of the most brutal—gifts God gives. It is a gift you want, because it brings clarity, protection, wisdom, truth, and spiritual sight. And it is the gift you don’t want, because once you see something, you cannot unsee it. Heavy. Discernment is both a light and a sword. A comfort and a burden. A gift and a responsibility. And if you’ve walked with this gift—especially since childhood—you already kno

CORRECTED: Please forgive me, beautiful Angelenos! How could I? The World Series is underway, pitting the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Toronto Blue Jays after Toronto’s stunning Game 7 upset over the Seattle Mariners. At the top of the eighth inning, it seemed the Mariners had the pennant locked up—until George Springer’s three-run blast turned defeat into destiny. In a single swing, everything changed. That moment feels like more than baseball. It echoes a deeper truth: v

I remember so clearly, early in my spiritual journey, when Jesus and I were doing a dance of negotiation. I was so worried about what He might ask me to give up. What would I have to surrender if I gave my life to Him? I sensed deeply that’s what He wanted—my whole life. It seemed like a very high-stakes gamble, but the pull was undeniable. His love would not let me go. That was twenty-five years ago, and I have spent a lot of time holding tightly to people, places, and thing

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8) The enemy wants to separate you. Jesus wants to draw you near. Knock down any barrier. Get closer. The enemy whispers that your sin is too great, that you cannot go back. That’s a lie from the pit of hell. Jesus always wants you back. Here is the truly remarkable reality of our Savior: He is the Author of new beginnings. He makes all things new. He restores lost time in ways that defy imagination. I know this becau

10 Days of Awe TOOLS & INSIGHTS Judging gets a bad rap, but truth is, we all make judgments every day—sometimes life or death. It’s also a little hypocritical. Even in recovery, we say “stick with the winners” (a judgment!) while condemning judgment—even if it happens behind closed doors. WHAT JESUS REALLY SAID When Jesus said “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1, ESV), He wasn’t calling for moral free-for-all. He was calling for humility. 3 “And why worry about a

“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” (Ephesians 4:25, ESV) Brothers and sisters, please—let’s heed what God is saying here. There’s no way to make light of this. No Isabella wit to take the edge off. Forms of Falsehood Slander and reviling both appear on Paul’s short list of sins that warrant removal from Christian fellowship. And Jesus condemns hypocrisy and false teaching not only i

During these Days of Awe, as we self-reflect and repent of what God shows us (Steps 4–10), praying David’s Psalm 51 can help. Try praying it daily—or more. I love this prayer and the painfully instructive failings that inspired it. We want to learn from David’s experience and apply the wisdom he learned the hard way. David himself tells God, “Then I will teach your ways to sinners, and they will return to you”  (v. 13). There’s nothing more powerful than sharing our true stor

✨Days of Awe #2 of 10 – Idolatry✨ “ They know about God, but they don't honor him or even thank him. Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds are in the dark. They claim to be wise, but they are fools. They don't worship the glorious and eternal God. Instead, they worship idols…” Romans 1:21-23 (CEV) Speaking of sexual sin—which God often links to idolatry—Let’s be honest: as Americans, we really have a big problem. Anything we put before God is an idol, so that co

Author Note: Wonderful people, I have been very busy with a demanding paid project, a son leaving for college, and another starting high...

Dear Readers: I’m reposting this from my Sage Sayings & Slogans Facebook page, because it’s relevant and useful for all of us. Also cuz...

I love how God sometimes answers prayers on a dime—in unexpected places like San Frediano's medieval basilica in Lucca, home to the tower...

A key stop on the Via Francigena—an ancient travel and pilgrimage route to Rome—Lucca is known as the city of 100 churches. Its many...

A more transcendent (and accurate) view of blessing for real life and trying times. What drew you to read this? The mere mention of...