Tired of Doing the Same Thing Over & Over, Hoping for Different Results?
You didn’t wake up this morning and think, “Today is the day I need to hire a life coach (or relationship coach or spiritual coach or hope coach).” But I would put money down that you woke up this morning, you sweet woman, and within about thirty seconds, your top...
How to Not Let a Broken Heart Take You Down
{originally written after my first post-divorce heartbreak, before I met my now-husband} I have said more times than I can count that this man who I fell in love with is a good man. And he is. And yet, there is this one little piece that, if given too much weight, has...
Who’s in Your Circle?
A while back I met a few people for tea. On the way home, I was feeling..…odd. Discontent. Judged. Invisible. It was really weird. I felt like I had been an unnecessary person at that table, 90% of the talking being done by the others, and when I was asked a...
Run Away
[originally written April 2014] I’ve been alluding lately to some things in my life that are leaving me uncertain and ever so slightly unsettled. But I started noticing something bubbling up in me and it was disconcerting for the following reasons: I was healthy....
How to Become Authentic
“Give me three words to describe yourself,” my new counselor said to me many years ago, during my first marriage at its peak of difficulty. Without missing a beat, I said, “Loyal, stubborn, authentic.” “It’s interesting that you say you’re authentic, because your life...
Can God Do Marriage Miracles?
Question: “Can God do a supernatural work despite the lack of steps being followed?” Yes. And, well, that makes it harder, but still, yes. Let’s get one thing clear. God can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, however he wants. He doesn’t need our approval, our...
Filling the Painful Void
Question: “I find myself wishing for something else to take away the pain even when I know only God can. What can we do to comfort ourselves when the pain {of being in a difficult marriage, of separating/divorcing} is so great?” During my separation, I texted a...
I am Woman, Watch Me Get Walked On
Question: “I consider myself to be a strong woman in every other area of my life, so why am I such a doormat in my abusive marriage?” Years ago I gave myself a title that only my closest friends knew I thought about myself. Pardon my language, but in my opinion I was...
The Hurting Woman & the Church
Question: “What should it look like for church leadership to walk a woman through her difficult marriage, and then, if applicable, through a separation and/or divorce?” After nineteen years at the same church, one night something very bad happened in my marriage. The...
Hell Hath No Fury Like Me When I’m Mad
Question: “My anger is reasonable under the circumstances, but since he doesn't care if I'm angry, it eats at me, and I feel confused. When is it ok to be angry?” Let’s start with this reminder: every emotion is a gift from God. The sweet emotions like love and joy...
