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10-Point Check-Up for Your Relationship, Part 1
This month, James and I will celebrate our five-month anniversary! Each month, we’ve started the habit of doing a check-up on our relationship. It’s nothing formal, just a moment to pause and ask each other if we’re driving the other crazy yet. I’m glad to report that we haven’t! In all seriousness, though, I appreciate this check-up, because it invites…
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Why Your Dreams Require Band-Aids
You have a dream, right? So do I. We probably have more than one, maybe even dozens. If your dream isn’t brand new and you’ve started taking steps to pursue it, you’ve likely discovered that the path to fulfillment is something like the field of poppies that Dorothy had to cross to reach the Emerald City in The Wizard of…
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Uncommon Adventures: An Interview with Author Jessica Lippe
Please welcome author Jessica Lippe to the blog today! I’ve had the privilege of contributing to Jessica’s Christian e-zine for teenage girls, Girlz 4 Christ, and when she shared that she’d written a travel book for Christians, I wanted to learn more! As she told me, age doesn’t matter in travel, so whether you’re a young adult or young at…
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Box Jumps in the Writing Life
When my husband and I joined a gym together, he introduced me to the box jump. In theory, it’s simple, a metal platform that you jump on with both feet at the same time. You can move to higher levels as you advance in ability. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work. In theory, publishing is simple too. You…
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How Can You Hear God’s Voice? Lessons from the Lake
How many of you want to hear God’s voice? That’s not a trick question. Any believer would give a wholehearted yes! By “hear,” I’m not referring to an audible voice but perhaps peace or clarity in a situation where we feel unsure or fearful. Maybe we’re struggling to see God’s hand or wanting to simply find the reassurance of His…
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2 Name Changes that will Transform Your Life
What’s worthwhile often isn’t easy. In an earlier interview, my friend and marriage mentor Tami Myer reminded me of this truth about relationships when she said, “Marriage is not easy, but the best things in life never are.” While marriage is certainly one of the best things in my life, I didn’t realize that changing my name would be one…
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Your Heritage Can Start Today
This summer has been special for my brother and me, because for the first time, we were able to introduce our spouses to our family camp in New Hampshire. This place of our childhood holds so many memories and history we wanted to share with them. It’s also the same place that inspired the setting for Secrets Beyond Lake Winona’s Shore. Going…
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Win a Year of Free Books
A year of free books? Unlike Aladdin’s story, there’s no genie required for this wish. Although we don’t have magic carpets to take us to exotic places, we do have books, and I’m excited to share about my publisher’s unique giveaway which might just open a whole new world to you. That has been my experience with books. You see,…
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Everyone’s Going to Prom but Me
Have you ever complained or even silently whispered, “Everyone’s going to prom but me”? “Uh, Kristen,” you say. “Prom season is over.” To that, I reply, “You’re right. I’m not really talking about prom.” Last week, I had the chance to catch up with one of my close friends for the first time in a while. She asked how marriage…
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You Don’t Have to Be Great to Start
New Years is typically the time of year people set health and fitness resolutions, but according to Forbes, the follow-through is pretty slim (under 25%). We’re approaching the half-way mark of 2019, and if you’ve already failed at a goal, I want to challenge you to start fresh. Maybe my personal story will help you feel less intimidated by the…
