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Do The Thing: Book Review & Giveaway
I’ve been following Rebecca George on Instagram for some time and waiting for her book Do The Thing to finally become available. As those of us in the publishing world know, book publishing is a multi-year journey, but I am so excited for her message to now be in readers’ hands. My Thoughts on Do The Thing As a new mom, my time is short and energy is limited, but I craved finding moments to dive into this gem. Rebecca’s message is for us “go-getters” whose dreams and goals excite us–but also sometimes steal our sleep and peace. Her message on fighting comparison especially hit home, as the writing industry…
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Book Review: For the Weary Life Traveler by Christine F. Perry
Traveling is something my husband and I love to do, and we’re excited to introduce our baby boy to our favorite places as he grows up. However, not all travel is smooth-sailing, and sometimes, plans gone wrong can leave us feeling weary. When I read Christine F. Perry’s title for her latest release, it immediately resonated with me due to my own passion for travel and ensuing misadventures … like the time in Sicily where our rental car died at five in the morning, the back-up train never showed up, and then my debit card wouldn’t work for the taxi driver. Praise God my friend and I both made our…
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Celebrating Firsts and All the Moments in Between
First bath. First smile. First laugh. As a new mom, I celebrate all my baby boy’s firsts. First Christmas? I already have his mini stocking! But the truth is, firsts can be hard too. First boo-boo. First break-up. First accident. The challenge with firsts is that depending on our circumstances, we view them with either excitement or angst. But as with anything in life, we get to choose how we respond. That’s the lesson my character Kaley learns in Take My Hand. As a trauma therapist working on her master’s thesis, she has all the head knowledge she needs to counsel others about their problems. But when it comes to…
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Newborn Life: 12 Takeaways for Perspective
He’s fed. We’re all alive. My teeth are brushed. Life with a newborn sets different standards for success. I knew the first few weeks would be hard, but really, nothing can prepare you for the sleep deprivation and postpartum stress. I can’t begin to imagine how anyone handles the newborn stage without a supportive spouse and lots of grace from Jesus. I’m very thankful for both! The good news is that the saying, “It gets easier,” is true. The last few weeks, we’ve started to find our rhythm, however imperfect. As I look back and see how far we’ve come, I find reoccurring takeaways that I hope I can apply…
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Author Chat with Eva Marie Everson on Her New Release, The Third Path
In 2020, I had the privilege of being part of Eva Marie Everson’s Labyrinth class at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference. In the class, she presented us with questions that God posed to characters in the Bible and challenged us to answer them ourselves. It was an incredibly rich class that I will never forget, and I’ve been waiting since then for her book on this topic to release. Two years later, The Third Path is in print, and it is a gem. I’m only part way through, mostly because my newborn likes to skip naps and I have new-mom exhaustion, but I look forward to savoring it…
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Our Unexpected Birth Story & Blessings
Our son Noah made his debut on July 26 at 2:54 in the afternoon. Three weeks early. Though the nursery was ready and the hospital bags were packed, I was emotionally and mentally unprepared. Due to my track history of Jesus needing to teach me patience, I figured Noah wouldn’t arrive until his due date or later. An unplanned induction had me in tears in the hospital admitting room. It just seemed unreal. James almost hadn’t gone with me to my doctor’s appointment because it was so routine. But at the last minute, I asked him to go with me because I wasn’t feeling great, and I’m so thankful he…
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Choosing Faith Over Fear
I have a confession. I absolutely love writing Christian suspense, but I do a much poorer job of dealing with suspense in real life. With less than two months left in my pregnancy, I am finding daily opportunities to give my anxieties back to God. Whether it’s a pregnancy symptom that is worrying or discouraging me or just how much I have left to do before the baby arrives, I find myself with two choices: give in to worry or give it to God. I wish I could say that I always choose the latter. Sometimes, I don’t, and then I have to repent of my sin of worry and…
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New Release! For Love’s Sake Bible Study
Good things take time, and this Bible study is one of them. Though it’s been several years in the making, I’m beyond excited to share it with you! I’m one of thirty contributors to this project, published through Lighthouse Bible Studies and compiled by Beebe Kauffman. A huge shout-out also goes to my friend and gifted writer Katy Kauffman for her part in making this publication possible. For Love’s Sake: The Life-Changing Facets of Love in 30 Bible Studies, Devotions, and Christian Living Articles is designed to refresh and challenge our perspective on loving well in the multi-faceted areas of life. About the Bible Study Let all that you do…
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Encouragement for the Unseen Mother
Last Mother’s Day was not easy for me. I had suffered an early miscarriage in March, and when May rolled around, the loss remained raw. Still, my husband and I went to church, and I tried not to cry through the songs. Many churches give away a little gift to mothers, and ours was no exception. Volunteers handed out hundreds, if not thousands, of carnations as we exited the service. I wasn’t going to take one. I had no baby in my belly or child clinging to my hand. A volunteer handed me one anyway. “I’m not a mother–” I faltered. I was, really, but I didn’t want to explain.…
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Theme for 2022: Believe for It
Happy New Year, friends! I am thankful for new beginnings and a new 365 days. Each year, I like to share a theme that God is laying on my heart. As I thought about a theme for 2022, I wanted to build off last year’s theme of “no fear” with a hopeful perspective. Truth is, last year gave us all plenty to be fearful about, and I struggled with fear more than once. My prayer for 2022 is that I will believe God for everything that concerns me. For one, my next novel is set to release this December, and I am believing God that He will use this story…
