Last week a few friends and I were commiserating over some of the perils of being single. Maybe commiserating is the wrong word. We were just commenting about how our lives didn’t really match our childhood dreams with “the” husband and “the” 2.0 kids. And while the journey we find ourselves on can be challenging and lonely at times (especially the random Sunday evening), life remains abundantly full and quite satisfying.

The next day, the following devotional arrived. The encouraging words written by Kelly and “Big Momma” had gone through a series of forwards before making its way to my inbox.  They struck a chord with me, so I thought maybe they’d strike a chord with you too. And Kelly kindly gave me the permission to share.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” I Corinthians 2:9

Well I have talked to lots of you recently and it seems to me that this phase of life is hard on everyone.  Letting go of the security of college and friends and doing really big life decisions for the first time is a hard thing.  All of us seem to be waiting on something….to find “the one”, to get a better job/house, to get married, to be good at what we do, to have babies, to get over bad things that have happened to us. (more…)

Sometimes God is hilarious. Hilarious in the way He orchestrates encounters, the way He satisfies needs before they are even voiced, the way He moves people in and out of our lives like actors in a beautifully written play, the way He forcefully prompts us when we are just a little too hesitant for His taste. Hilarious.

But here I sit so distracted with life, so hell-bent on being serious, that I forget to laugh along. I neglect to completely enjoy the wonder of His plan unfolding.

But fortunately today, He opened my eyes to the humor. And I stopped and laughed with God.

What a wondrous moment of fellowship we shared. (more…)

I don’t know really what it is. But something is definitely going on with me.

Probably the best way to explain it is to say I just don’t feel like myself. I feel like a stranger in my own skin. Or more accurately, I don’t feel like I am the same girl that I was last year, last week, or even last night.

I am smack dab in the middle of a season of change.

I am experiencing the pains that are representative of growth, but I can’t quite see the changes in the mirror. What used to fit now feels strangely uncomfortable like last year’s skinny jeans but I haven’t figured out what alternations need to be made to embrace the transformed me.

So here I sit in limbo land, not comfortable living in the past and not sure what the future holds, yet feeling strangely encouraged. Encouraged because I am confident that my discomfort is a road sign reassuring my path; my trepidation is a herald of the extraordinary adventure that lies ahead; my anxiousness a reminder that I am fully living in the present. (more…)

what it was like to be a teenager?

Really what it was like? Not some dreamed-up idealized version of high school where you felt secure, loved, and popular? Because I do. I try to block it out sometimes, but it is there, still haunting me.

I grew up in Dallas, Texas, in an area that some people like to call affectionately “the bubble.” A common misconception is that where there is wealth and conservative values that life is easy, but oh how that is wrong -especially if you are a girl trying to fight your way through high school.

I fared pretty well. I made good grades. I had boatloads of friends (I guess you could call them that, but more accurately I always had lots of people around.) I was actively involved in Younglife & K-Life. I didn’t really drink. I was Associate Editor of the yearbook. I thought drugs were bad. I was elected as a leader of “the” girls’ service organization. I had it together, or that’s what I wanted to believe. (more…)

You know that cheesy song that Garth Brooks sang back in the early-199os, “Unanswered Prayers?” Well all I can say is that, it might be cheesy, but it is also dead on.

Seriously, dead on. Have you ever taken a moment to think about all the heartbreak that you have experienced? Heartbreak that was in fact a huge blessing in disguise? For some reason on my drive back from Birmingham, this is exactly what I was thinking about.

I came up with a long list full of unexpected “blessings.” Here’s a very short sampling -  job promotions deserved but not attained, relationships that ended too abruptly, loyalties betrayed. (more…)

Have you ever sat in church and felt like your pastor, priest, or minister is speaking directly to you? Or actually that God is screaming at the top of His lungs at you through your pastor, priest, or minister? And instantly a gut-wrenching conviction bombards your soul. Unfortunately, I know this feeling all too well. Selfishly I so wish I could sit through just one message and think, “I am so on top of this, God. I’ve already got this one covered.” But somehow I doubt I will ever get there.

Last Sunday at Cross Point, Pete encouraged us to take a moment and ask God if there was something, anything, He was asking us to do that we were neglecting. Painful question, right? Because of course, several things came to mind. Several things that I knew God was calling me to take care of and I was avoiding. Or maybe I wasn’t completely avoiding them, but I wasn’t quite doing them either. Several things God was asking me to change, but candidly I was still trying to negotiate the deal with God (But I guess that is not really how it works?) (more…)

Do you ever look at your faith and wonder? Wonder if it would be strong if you didn’t “live a pretty little life.” Wonder if it will survive the really hard times. Wonder if it is wrongly based on the assumption that your life, as a Christian, will only get better, it certainly can’t get worse.

I guess it goes without saying that I do. I struggle with this. A lot.

Because my faith has not truly been tested. Sure, my life hasn’t been perfect. I have been through terrible break-ups. I have been betrayed by some of my best friends. I have had to bury three grandparents, two dogs, and several friends. I have been sick. And at thirty years old, I have to sit and wait for biopsy results knowing that my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was thirty-one.

I have experienced loss. I have experienced fear. I have felt alone.

But I look at the trials and tribulations of others. And I remember that I have no idea. (more…)

This morning at Crosspoint, we sang “Healer” by Hillsong United.

Here are the lyrics:

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease
I trust in you
I believe You’re my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You’re my Potion
I believer You’re more than enough for me
Jesus You’re all I need
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

And this morning as I worshiped I really tried to focus on the words. When I sang “Nothing is impossible for You,” I stopped for a moment and wondered. (more…)

The story of this young girl fighting a brain tumor really touched me. Would you take a few minutes and pray for this family?

Kate McRae is a 5 year old Phoenix girl who is fighting a brain tumor. This is a video of her parents taken the day before her surgery. Please pass this video on, post it on your blog, Twitter the link to your community, put a Pray for Kate deal on your Facebook, pass it along to any prayer chains and let’s ask God to heal this little soul.

You can get more info and updates:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate
http://twitter.com/aaronmcrae

This Spring in my Crosspoint Community Group, we have been studying a book called Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero. Big title, right? It’s a big study too. It is the kind of book that makes you dig deep, ask tough questions, and work through your issues – and let’s face it we all have issues.

Last week the focus of the study was on Chapter 7, “Growing into an Emotionally Healthy Adult.” We talked about the importance of loving others maturely — treating them as human beings uniquely created by Christ instead of as a means to an end or an object. Easier said then done, right? During the conversation, Jenni Catron said, quoting Pete Wilson (who was perhaps quoting someone else but I have no idea whom – maybe this lady or maybe this man or maybe someone else entirely?), “Hurt people, hurt people.” (more…)