COMMON GOOD CONVERSATIONS

What to do when the pieces don't fit. My last blog was inspired by my love for doing puzzles and how they make pretty good metaphors for life. For example: Clarity comes in time. Perspective changes everything. Distance can reveal what closeness obscures. Progress is made piece by piece. The mess is part of the making. What looks like chaos is simply misalignment. The ultimate design is not threatened by temporary disorder. The easy lesson from puzzles is that life can be con

A Thousand Tiny Pieces Become Something Whole July 4, 2026. Today, our country celebrates its Semiquincentennial. And in honor of this special occasion, I purchased a puzzle – like I do for every holiday – to put on display for the season. I am a puzzle lover. The truth is, I think everyone is – even the people who insist they aren't. I know this because there is almost always a puzzle on my kitchen table that is somewhere in the process of coming together, and when people st

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah event on 9/10/2025. Whether you agreed or disagreed with his political...

My dearest friend died, so I wrote her this letter to process my grief. Dear Ann, I have started to write this so many times. That’s not...

Three important perspectives for new moms. I am in the middle of baby-shower planning for a couple of friends of mine who are pregnant with their first babies. Meanwhile, my firstborn child turned 20 last week. Yes, TWENTY. I know. Which people typically find hard to believe. Throughout his entire life, when we were out together and someone would find out he was my son, they would say that I did not look old enough to have a kid "that age." To which I always replied, "I'm

Why America needs a different kind of Awakening. Photo: Anna Moneymaker (Getty Images via AFP) It's an election year, so it’s no surprise...

Ways Christians can respond in violent times. Photo: © Evan Vucci/AP In my last blog, I wrote about how 80% of Americans see our country...

What the early church can teach us about unity in this election season. It’s the Fourth of July. A day to celebrate America’s...

A look behind the curtain. The End is near! No, not the end of the world. And hopefully I have made it clear by now that we're not meant...

Reading someone else's mail. In Part 1 of this three-part series, I talked about the dangers of misreading Revelation and the importance...

(and the End of the World as we know it...) When I was a little girl, I remember looking out at the ocean and assuming it ended at the...

The problem Harrison Butker's Commencement Address presents for Christians. My nephew graduated from high school last weekend, and he was the valedictorian of his class. He gave an absolutely phenomenal speech. It was funny and insightful, with just the right amount of nostalgia with a hopeful excitement for what’s to come. The speech was filled with his trademark humility and wise-beyond-his-years perspectives on the important things in life. He nailed it. Turns out, not all

What does Palm Sunday mean for my life? The Meaning of Passover, Palms, & Processions. Today is Palm Sunday. It's the first day of Holy Week, which begins the final countdown to Easter. I put out an entire series last year for each day of Holy Week. I don't plan on repeating that this year. ( You can check that out with these links: Part I: Palm Sunday , Part II , Part III: Maundy Thursday , Part IV: Good Friday , Part V: The Resurrection , Bonus Blog ). But this morning in

How I gave up dairy (and anger) for Lent. I recently saw my doctor for routine bloodwork and found out that my cholesterol was elevated....

My Response to Senator Katie Britt’s SOTU Response. Like many people, I struggle with anxiety. I like to at least feel that I am in...

Why Christian nationalism is anti-biblical. Have you ever said something and the SECOND it came out of your mouth, you regretted it? I...

And what does it mean that Jesus died "for our sins," and why does any of this matter? My last blog was the first of a two-part series on...

And what is sin? How should we think about sin? Why does it matter? If you grew up in a religious home or have any experience with...

Why I am changing course in 2024. I haven't been writing much lately. Like everyone in the world, I have a lot going on at the moment....

How to make sure this year is different from last year. We’re almost to the end of January 2024. Can you still say, "Happy New Year"? I...