Happy 250th Anniversary, America!
“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” —Acts 17:26–27 Dearest America, There are many things I could say to you, but I’ll try to keep this short and sweet. I was blessed to be born and raised within your vast borders and have called [...]
Hope for Haiti, One Meal at a Time
“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” —Matthew 25:40 Sometimes, when you learn more about how other people live, it makes you extremely grateful for your own blessings. Long before my husband was called to be our church’s pastor, the congregation began supporting Trinity Hope, a nonprofit organization that feeds schoolchildren in Haiti. Our church sponsors a school, and we delight in receiving periodic bundles of drawings and handwritten notes from the [...]
Father’s Day: It’s Complicated, Part 2
“For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” —Deuteronomy 5:9–10 Just as Mother’s Day is complicated for some of us, Father’s Day can elicit similarly complex emotions. Fatherlessness has been a recurring motif in my family history. My maternal great-great-grandmother lost her husband in a railroad accident. The lore says that until she got remarried, my great-grandmother and her siblings lived in [...]
God’s Design for Marriage and Families
Strong marriages and families are the bedrock of any thriving society. I come from a family of broken homes, so I know firsthand the detrimental effects of disregarding God’s design for marriage and families. By His grace, He has allowed me to break this cycle in my own marriage and family. Having a home where Jesus Christ is the foundation makes all the difference I the world. One of the hymns we sang at our wedding was “Oh, Blest the House.” I haven’t read the lyrics in many years, and today, as I reflect on life over the [...]
How to Make a Neurotic Chick
My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. —Psalm 73:26 On a blustery January day in Central New York, I sat in the backseat of my then brother-in-law’s car, as he and my sister drove me back to Ithaca College, where I was in my sophomore year. I had my headphones on, listening to a mixtape a friend had made me for the ride to and from campus to my hometown. My eyes were either closed or staring out the window, but perpetually holding back tears. My sister [...]
To Live in Quiet and Peace
When our leaders rule with integrity, when the rule of law is followed, and when justice is being properly applied, social peace can flourish. One of the greatest joys and blessings of being an author is hearing about the ways your work impacts others. All of the emails, texts, cards, and conversations I’ve had with readers are stored up in my heart, reminding me of why I wrote One Nation Under God: to encourage my sisters in Christ. A few months ago, a reader emailed me and shared that she’d been distressed about a recent decision made by [...]
Ain’t No Cure for the Summertime Blues?
The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun. You have set all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter. —Psalm 74:16–17 It’s hard for me to believe, but today is the first day of my children’s summer vacation. Many of my mom friends with older children told me that once my kids started school, the years would fly by. However, I didn’t know exactly what they meant until my oldest entered kindergarten. My friends were absolutely right! The beginning of summer often leads me to [...]
Seeking More Peace? There’s an App for That!
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations I will be exalted in the earth! —Psalm 46:10 Anyone who knows me is aware that I am very high energy—always thinking, talking, moving—and that I often struggle with anxiety. Thus, practices and tools that help me slow down, both mentally and physically, are always a welcome addition in my life. So this week, I’m delighted to share an interview with one of my friends, Jennifer Smith McDonald. Among her many accomplishments, she recently founded the Peace app, a Scripture-based meditation program that [...]
Mother’s Day: It’s Complicated
Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates. —Proverbs 31:31 For many of us, Mother’s Day is complicated. I had two mothers in my life. My biological mother gave birth to me when she was sixteen years old, and she relinquished custody of me when I was three years old. From that moment on, my mother was my grandmother’s half-sister who, along with her husband, was granted legal custody of me. (My grandmother and guardian had different fathers. And yes, pretty much every relationship in my family is [...]
Sometimes, It Is About Us
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. —1 John 1:10 I’ll be the first to admit that I’m completely biased in my esteem of my husband’s sermons. He’s a man of few words, and his sermons are no exception. On average, they’re one single-spaced piece of paper, front and back. Those two pages are packed with deep exegesis, evidence of his rigorous and thorough preparation process, which involves translating that week’s Scripture readings, consulting multiple commentaries, reading what the early church fathers and Luther had [...]