I was supposed to be on a mission trip last week.

With the exception of the two summers I was on maternity leave, this is the first time since 2003 that I haven’t spent my summers leading mission trips.

Mission trips are – for so many junior...

Over the last few weeks, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about Martin Luther King Jr.

As a kid, MLK was the ONE black man I learned about in a positive way. He was the pastor who gave the “I have a dream” speech and who advanced the notion of...

As states reopen, the conversations are raging in youth ministry circles about when and how to “reopen” our youth ministries.

My youth ministry will not be regathering this summer.

I'm using that word, regather, intentionally because even though...

Perhaps in the last few weeks, you’ve seen a meme like this one:

I certainly have.

Between the pandemic, the murder hornets, the killing of another black man, the protests, and the riots, I've heard more people than ever before say something...

Hope is very into party planning right now.

Yesterday, she planned a carnival for our family to participate in, complete with individual tickets for each activity – tickets she spent two hours making.

One of the carnival activities was CHALK,...

This week has broken me.

George Floyd.

The protests.

The looting.

The pandemic.

It’s left me feeling exhausted.

And I’m someone who knows what exhaustion feels like.

I’ve felt the complete and utter exhaustion that defines a first trimester...

As a parent, I, like so many, want to shelter my girls from the horrors of the world. At 10-months old and 5-years-old, they are, after all, still so young.

Yet, the reality is that Hope (the 5-year-old) hears EVERYTHING… And she asks questions...

Although I grew up in the church and was taught that Jesus sacrificed himself for my sins on the cross, I didn't really learn about self-sacrifice until twenty years ago when I was a summer staffer for YouthWorks Missions.

That summer, I was told...

As we stood at my mother-in-law’s casket, my nearly two-year-old nephew chased my four-year-old daughter around the empty funeral home room – something they could do since, thanks to the COVID-19 restrictions, the room was empty except for us.

...

At the start of the New Year, we signed our then 4-year old daughter, Hope, up for a dance class at the local park district.

Hope LOVES to dance. We’ve known that for a while and figured this would be a fun way for her to learn some skills and...

The weekend after I miscarried, my mother and father-in-law, Nancy & Keith, showed up at our house.

Truth be told, I didn’t want them there.

I didn’t want anyone there.

I was knee-deep in some of the most profound sadness I’d ever...

In every church I’ve ever been on staff at, we've inevitably wrestled with the question, “Who belongs?”

Oh, we never say it like that.

Instead, we raise questions like, “Who is active here? Who worships here? Or who gives an offering here?”

We...

As I’ve scrolled Facebook in the days of the Pandemic, I’ve been increasingly struck by my desire to engage with people who share my beliefs and disengage from those who don’t.

I’m continually frustrated by one friend in particular and their...

Context is everything.

As a ministry professional, I’ve had this instilled into me for years. Even so, I’ve never seen this quite as clearly as I have since the pandemic began.

Because we’re safe-at-home, unable to go places, feeling a myriad of...

Yesterday, I met (virtually) with my VBS leaders to reimagine this summer’s VBS. When I ended the meeting, I genuinely felt excited.

What’s funny is I almost didn’t recognize that feeling.

It’s been SO long since I’ve felt excited about anything....

Emotions are an interesting thing during quarantine.

It seems like on any given day, I feel ALL the emotions...STRONGLY. Sometimes I can process WHY I’m feeling what I’m feeling. Other times, I simply can’t.

Naturally, through no fault of their...

This morning, I recorded my children’s message for tomorrow’s virtual Easter service. I began it without thinking, by saying, “Happy Easter!”

As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I inwardly questioned them.

Will this really be a happy...

Pre-kids, my husband and I frequently took vacations centered around backpacking. Nature centered and anchored us. In nature, we felt closer to God and each other. 

After having Hope, we frequented the Morton Arboretum. But as Hope got older,...

During these days of COVID-19 quarantine, I've once again become aware of just how privileged I am. 

I'm aware of my privilege when I watch the nightly news and I'm struck by the disproportionate number of African Americans who have died from...

Yesterday, I stumbled onto this Facebook post:

In three short months, just like He did with the plagues of Egypt, God has taken away everything we worship. God said, "you want to worship athletes, I will shut down the stadiums. You want to...