At a multi-generation women's conference in Alaska where I was about to speak, an older woman leaned over and whispered in the ear of the young girl sitting next to her, "Get ready!"

The young girl's eyes widened. "Why? Where are we going?"

The reply? "To the edge of your chair!"

No one ever whispered those words in my ear, but ...

I closed the book after the fourth chapter. I hugged my knees to my chest, rested my chin on my knees, and let out a long, heavy sigh. I sat, conflicted, on the oversized chair in our living room while my husband was upstairs asleep, my emotions fluctuating, oddly, between compassion and rage. If the battle really was ‘every man's,' then my husband was no ...

Last spring, after I was asked to consider running for the board at my kids' school, I prayed this: God, you know how much I'd love to do this. But I just don't have time to be president of a school board…..

Go ahead and roll your eyes. I'm sure God did too. Because, of course, no one was asking me to be president. They were asking me to consider ...

According to many in the media, last weekend is being dubbed the "weekend of outbursts." An athlete, a lawmaker, and a musician—three distinct persons in the public eye—lost their cool. Each one of them felt injustice inflicted on themselves or another. And they made their feelings known … to everyone.

Being in the public eye might have some ...

When I think of female rivalry, that is, rivalry between women, I think of Cinderella and her step-sisters. I think of the rivalry between Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. I think of the escapades of the women on Wisteria Lane in Desperate Housewives. What I've rarely considered in recent years is how female rivalry impacts my growth and development as a woman ...

"I don't want to gain the whole world and lose my soul," sang Toby Mac, Kirk Franklin and Mandisa from my boom box as I spent a week in the basement de-cluttering. His rap's lyrics are a call to Christ followers to stay faithfully focused in our culture's temptation to slowly defect. But goofy me, I had misheard the lyrics as, "I don't want ...

As a child I often felt driven not only to succeed, but also to be noticed by my parents and my peers. I wanted others to see me as good enough, worthy and outstanding. As I grew older and became a Christian these drives didn't disappear. They became christianized. I wanted to show my Heavenly Father that he should be glad he saved me, and that his grace was not poured ...

When a friend asked me recently what I knew about a certain ministry for children (that shall remain nameless), I sent back a scathing email about how much I hated it as a child. How ostracized I'd felt and how un-Jesus-y I found the whole thing to be, in hindsight. About five minutes later, however, I sent her back another email, apologizing. Because I realized after ...