The Blog
of grace & gumption
One of the things I love the most about my church is that we celebrate how God is working in each other's lives. One of the ways we do this is with our Table Talk Podcast. Recently I got to sit down with my dear friend and women's minister, Betsy Thompson, as she...
I was so honored to be a guest on the God Hears Her podcast to talk about Guilt-Free Quiet Times. I can't say enough great things about the wonderful women who host the show and the army of workers behind the scenes. They made me feel welcome and blessed, and the...
Philippians 4:6 is a compound sentence (two complete sentences that could stand alone but are joined by a coordinating conjunction). Grammatically, the two clauses are equivalent. But are they in content? Because the "do not be anxious" part comes first, we often...
Next week I will report back to the classroom to begin my second year as a teacher. I’m feeling anxious/excited, just as every teacher is right now, but definitely glad that the dreaded “first year” is behind me. Everyone tells me it only gets easier from here. Time,...
My family and I recently returned from a 2,500-mile road trip. We traveled from Texas to Kentucky and enjoyed visiting The Ark Encounter, The Creation Museum, Mammoth Cave National Park, Hot Springs, and several other stops along the way. We've always loved exploring...
My Mother Has No Wrinkles My mother has no wrinkles Her hair, no hint of gray No pounds of time on her behind For her to wish away. Her arms aren’t soft or flabby Her spine is never bent No failing ears so she can’t hear Her granddaughter’s laments. My...
I am safe. My family is safe. My home is secure. And for all of that, I am so grateful. We're in the midst of Hurricane Harvey right now, as so many of you are as well. Honestly, I don't even have the words to comment on the devastation. I've seen photos of my friends...
Fellowship is one of the core values of the New Testament church, so it makes sense that one of the worst feelings is going to church and not having any friends there. If that's how you feel, you're not alone. I've been there numerous times over the years and will be...
A few years ago, we had a garage sale at our house and my in-laws came over to help. After several hours, our old couches still hadn’t sold, so I took some photos and added them to Facebook. My sweet mother-in-law just happened to be sitting on one of the couches when...
Even though it’s only April, many children’s ministries have been prepping for Vacation Bible School since January. At my church, we’re doing Lifeway’s Galactic Starveyors curriculum this year and we’ve already had several major planning meetings. VBS is one of my...
I clutched my purse tightly in front of me, just like the tour guide said. I walked quickly, intentionally, up the sidewalk towards the bus, being careful not to make eye contact with anyone. Still, I could feel the eyes of a dozen men glaring into my profile from...
Last night, the Ryan family had a bedtime revival. It was Easter, and the end of a wonderful but exhausting Holy Week. Every night last week our church had a Resurrection Awakening service (read: Revival) with some of the most fabulous preachers and musicians we’ve...