Encouragement

Towards the end of the summer my husband and I attended a crowded event with our kids. There were hundreds of people in the heart of the downtown area of our city. We explained to each of them (ages 8, 6, 4, and 2 at that time) how extremely important it was that they held […]

I love sparkling things. When I was a child I remember going through a phase where I collected pretty stones. I scoured my backyard in search of the shiniest, most interesting stones I could find. From glittering white quartz to smooth igneous rocks, I was on a quest to add the most stunning stones to

We all have one. From the moment we took our first breath and were swaddled in our mother’s arms, we were given a name. An identity. Our name captures the uniqueness and individuality of who we are as people created in the image of an amazing God. Names in the Bible have always had powerful and

In one of the malls near our house, there used to be a set of play cars and trucks that children could sit on and “ride”. If you put a few coins in each machine, the cars would slowly move back and forth, complete with the sounds of honking horns and engines revving. My kids

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Baker, but we can’t allow you to withdraw from your account today.” I stared at the bank teller in utter confusion as she handed me back my driver’s license. All I need is twenty bucks–I can’t have twenty dollars from my own account? I wondered in astonishment. I started to develop

When I was about three years old, my parents threw me the biggest birthday party of all time. Though the only part I actually remember from my party was a large, bearded magician standing in front of me as his “magic” dove pooped on our living room floor! The pictures of this birthday bash revealed

“Christin, you are pretty, but it’s too bad that you’re black.” Her words pierced my soul like a razor-sharp dagger. I was in Central America, thousands of miles from my home on a college study abroad program. The beauty of the tropical trees, vibrant flowers and sights of the city were so inviting. But at

It was a bleak fall day, just weeks before Thanksgiving. I was in the first trimester of my fourth pregnancy, when I realized I was bleeding. “Oh God, please.” I whispered. A subsequent call to my OB landed me in the office that very afternoon. Hoping for the best and praying against the worst, I

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Prov 31:10 The other day I was perusing the children’s picture book section of our local library, searching for fun books to read with my kids. A woman walked by on the other side of the shelf near me, and