A few years ago I heard someone relate that there are all kinds of things genetic testing can tell us these days. Things like 'you are super likely to get such-and-such disease or unlikely to live past this age UNLESS you make some huge lifestyle change.' In the same anecdote, a doctor purportedly said that …
God as Mother
The Bible uses countless pictures, stories, and illustrations to help us understand the fullness of who God is – partially because none of them, in and of themselves, can fully capture His character, what He’s like, and how He operates. So as a quick review, a few of the ways the Bible describes God are: as fire, cloud, shepherd, king, father, husband, light, water, bread, a warrior, a lamb, a lion, and yes – as a woman and a mother.
Hi, My Name is Laura and I’m Addicted to Comfort
Comfort and safety are God-given desires, but when we value them above all else, they become destructive idols.
Shout or Shut Down: Emotional Flooding in Relationship Conflict (for FamilyLife.com)
Emotional flooding makes every marital conflict feel like an emergency. How do you slow down so every argument doesn’t lead to devastation?
5 Ways My Husband Supports My Mental Health, A Family Life Guest Post
“Today was not a good day,” I darkly greeted my husband as he entered our apartment and took in the scene. I laid on the couch while the kids had some screen time in our bedroom. My struggle with anxiety and maintaining my mental health had taken a more prominent role in our lives over …
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Day 26: Walk
I change out of pajamas and into “workout clothes,” grab my hat since the sun already sits high in the sky, and check with Aubrey to see if it’s alright if I go for a quick walk. I slip on my tennishoes, grab my phone and earbuds, and step quickly out the door. I select …
Day 23: Band-aid
Typical of little people, my children have both believed in the power of a Band-aid. Not just for broken skin, band-aids are requested for all kinds of boo-boos. Bug bites, scratches, or burns, and bruises, soreness, or bumps -- the act of adding a bandage has magical powers to soothe. It’s not just band-aids either, …
Day 19: Mug
Next to my bed lay a stack of books, my phone (I haven’t yet adopted the good habit of “putting it to bed” outside of our room like my husband), water bottle, candle, and some clutter. This morning, I awake with a dull resistance to going to my phone — even for the Lent devotional …
Day 18: Diapers
It’s come to my attention in the past week or two that I am a bit disconnected from my heart. There’s a great deal of loss happening — both clear and ambiguous — but I’m having trouble connecting with it emotionally. The feeling I do recognize I am seeking to insulate from is fear and …
Day 17: Door
“Don’t let the —,” I start to holler over to the girls. But the sound of the door slamming cuts me off. The entire apartment shakes and I know our neighbors can feel it, too. “ — door slam.” I finish, deflated. Some doors are designed to close themselves if there’s anything less than like …
hope for the sojourn 