I'm afraid to have kids and that's okay
I always thought I would go to college, find my husband, graduate, get married, and have my first baby by the time I turned twenty-five. If there was…
The traveling circus: Friendships in every stage of parenting
When my kids were younger, I felt like I was living in a circus. Constant activity. Animals everywhere—actual dogs, costumed children, stuffed— My…
Changed by our children: God’s plans in our parenting
So much of our efforts as parents go towards supporting and helping our children. From the moment they are born, we work tirelessly to help them…
Learning to drive: Trusting God’s plan for our kids
I went back and forth trying to decide if this article was about my daughter learning to drive or me learning how to be her passenger. Looking over…
Raise the child you have, not the child you want
I have a friend who learned her daughter had cancer after her visit to the pediatrician when she was 2-years-old. Her blood work was off, and this…
Surrendering to God’s call
When God prompted us to adopt Joy three years ago, it came out of the blue—days before our twenty year wedding anniversary. For seven years, I’d…
Two funerals and a wedding: 3 principles of grief in a stepfamily
It was a sunny Fourth of July weekend. Red roses and navy ribbons were the ideal backdrop for my fiancé, Robbie, and me to join in matrimony. With…
Pleasing God, not people
My friend and her husband were embarking on quite an adventure. They sensed God calling them to become a foster family, taking in children from…
Why I chose to put my kids in public school
Months before we got married and years before we became parents, my husband and I sat down and discussed where we would send our hypothetical…
