With each conversation over the following two days —at meals, before breakout sessions, even standing in hallways—I bore witness to God’s abundant grace as each woman shared her good story and spoke hope others needed to hear.
All those hours in front of a blank screen leave our thoughts whirling in a cyclone, twisting out of control until our words find a place to touch down.
Uniting with others around the desire to honor Jesus with our creativity established a new refrain: I don’t have the margin to write alone.
Although each individual Redbud member is important, we truly experienced something greater — synergy — when we gathered. This synergy strengthened my spirit more than I could have done alone.
Dear Reader, I am blessed by a rare collection of close girlfriends. Most of us have known each other for more than a quarter century. Two of us were even in each other’s weddings more than 30 years ago. There are seven of us, and we are from diverse parts of the country and we…
One Sunday morning as we were spilling out of the church doors, I spotted a friend I hadn’t seen in years—a college buddy I’d known long before I was married. I swooped across the courtyard and was met with one of the giant, warm hugs I remembered so well. Two seconds later—still mid-hug—I began to…
My mother-in-law has a gift. She can talk to anyone. I once went to an estate sale with my mother-in-law and one of my sisters-in-law. We had just stepped inside the front door when my mother-in-law paused and smiled at another woman also walking in the door. That woman smiled back, and the two began…
“Imagine them both 20 years from now,” she prompts, “sprawled out on your couch, balding with beer bellies.” We chuckle as we weave about the rocks and roots on our path, but her next sentence grinds us to an abrupt halt: “Who would you choose?” Elizabeth and I lock eyes. This sixteen-year-old had wrangled me—a…
One of my favorite places to experience glimmers of heaven is through the friendships we’re offered here on earth. When I think of the ways that all nations will come together and what it will be like to experience “the healing of the nations,” (Revelation 22:2) many friendships come to mind. Finding Commonality First, I…
I recently ended a thirty-year-long friendship. This is not something I’ve done before. Most of the friendships I’ve lost over the years have faded under the usual circumstances: Time, physical distance, and life transitions gradually nudged us apart. A few friends have passed away. But this—telling a longtime friend what I needed from her, and…
Later this summer, my husband and I will pack up our two small children and several suitcases with what feels like half our possessions and board a plane destined for the other side of the country. At this stage in our family’s life, I wouldn’t normally volunteer myself for such a big trip, but in…
“In a perfect Friendship…each member of the circle feels, in his secret heart, humbled before the rest. Sometimes he wonders what he is doing there among his betters. He is lucky beyond desert to be in such company. Especially when the whole group is together; each bringing out all that is best, wisest, or funniest in all the…
My closest friend in high school told me—on several occasions—that I was a “know-it-all.” Today the most common tagline I might be given is “she’s so real and vulnerable.” How did that happen? How did I go from an attitude of pride and I know what’s best to being willing to admit and even share…
Sometimes vulnerability makes me squirm—particularly in my closest relationships and when the stakes are highest. This is ironic, considering that as an author, vulnerability is sort of my jam. Readers who’ve read my very personal memoir have shared their appreciation for my openness and transparency. I poured my heart and soul into that book, as…