Coming in last. I hate it. Really hate it. Maybe you do, too? Have you ever thought about why you hate it? I have and I’ve boiled it down to a simple statement. I’m afraid. Ick. It’s safer to say that we hate to come in last. It doesn’t sound quite as pitiful as admitting… [ read more ]

Hello! Hellooo! Anyone still here?! Please forgive my lengthy blog absence. Re-writing half of my book turned into a very lengthy process and there just haven’t been enough hours in the day. But the revisions were accepted and the book is headed out to a copy editor in the next week or so. For the… [ read more ]

My son loves playing games on my phone. He has one that he’s been playing for a while now. He’s completed so many levels that he has begged me not to let his little brother play, for fear that he’ll mess things up.  So I was surprised yesterday when he asked me to download the… [ read more ]

I love hearing my kids find their voice as they learn to talk to God. Emma goes for loud and proud. “Dear Jesus,” she’ll begin, then we usually get a nice pause. This is followed by her thanking Him for something about her day, or the food, or something really random like swings or a… [ read more ]

I have not been in a “bloggy” mood lately, which is weird for me. I love this blog. I love opening up my laptop and watching my scrambled thoughts morph into something that makes sense. At least to me. Most of the time, I have three or four blog posts ready to go, but for the… [ read more ]

It can’t just be me. Please say it isn’t just me. I love Pinterest! I see the those little rectangles filled with beautifully staged food, artfully arranged mantles, adorably posed children, and I think… How hard could it be? Well, I have some homemade hand soap that feels like snot, a goofy looking Valentine’s Day… [ read more ]

I just returned from a wonderful week of vacation in the mountains of North Carolina. We had an amazing time and I’m looking forward to sharing bits of what God showed me in the weeks ahead. But for now, as promised, today is the launch of the new and improved Out of the Boat. I’m keeping the most… [ read more ]

In honor of my 200th blog post, I’ve been fiddling with the blog. If you’re reading this in a reader or on a mobile device you may not see anything different, but I’m trying to spruce things up around here. I’m also in the process of renewing my focus for Out of the Boat and revamping… [ read more ]

A few weeks ago, I asked what you were planning to do to grow closer to God this summer. Remember? (If not, click here! ) I know that many of us participate in Bible studies during the school year, but we usually take the summer off. Which makes perfect sense. It’s hard to schedule group sessions around vacations… [ read more ]

Sometimes, when a follower of Christ answers the call to come out of the boat and walk a new path, the people they’ve been doing life with are more hindrance than help. Instead of cheering, they chide. Instead of rooting, they rebuke. Instead of praying, they pout. And far too often, the resistance comes from… [ read more ]