Alone and discouraged, I sat staring at a computer screen. I was frustrated by the way my life had turned out. I’d worked hard to hold onto remnants of hope for my marriage, but each day that summer I could feel it slipping through my fingers.  I felt so alone.  God was still there, I knew, but there was a longing for people who would talk back....

It takes time to build a new community of friends and right now, I'm tired, my heart is burdened and I’m a little sad. I don't want to wait to meet new people. There are things I want to share right now, thoughts I’d like to bounce around. I feel like I don't know who I can turn to just to "be" with me. I wanted to eat lunch with a friend...

  Do you want the strength to face life’s challenges? Take our free online study and learn how to stand up to your fears with strength and courage.   All my life, I’ve been told that I was beautiful - by my parents, my family, and my extended church family. Never once in my life had anyone that I loved and respected planted...

Sunday mornings are often the only time you may get to lay low for a couple of hours and enjoy that second cup of coffee. Sometimes it’s those few hours that provide the mini margin to get a few things done like mowing the lawn or catching up on laundry. Kids often have sporting practices Sunday morning. Going to church can sometimes feels like...

A recent Religion News Service headline reports, “Single Adults Want Ministry, Not Sympathy”. According to RNS, singles are “part of a demographic -- men and women of childbearing age without children -- that nearly doubled in 24 years, from 10 percent of the population in 1976 to 19 percent in 2000.”* How can marrieds interact with...

At 19 weeks I gave birth to a little boy.  We named him Jacob.  We said hello and goodbye in the same hour. He is not a miscarriage or an almost-child, he is my son.  This letter was written three years after his birth.  This is a glimpse into my mother’s heart, a letter written to Jacob my son who resides in heaven.  If you (or someone you...

“Volunteers. We need volunteers!” My pastor’s voice clapped with conviction. I sat in the back of the church and watched as the shuffle began. Young people got up from their seats, and took their places under signs that read: “Nursing Home,” “Hospital Visitation,” and “Coffee House.” My friend Alyssa and I made our way over...