My heart is heavy today. Today the Catholic Dioceses of Texas released the names of all priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse with minors. As I have said before, it is important that we bring light to this darkness. It’s there. It’s not just local, it’s worldwide, and it must be revealed so we can move forward, correct the wrongs, and start anew. The basis of our faith is not held in the perfection of our leaders. If that were ever meant to be the case, Peter

My husband and I have a standing coffee date every week. The day varies occasionally, but every week we carve out time to spend together without distractions and at a time when we can both stay awake. (Our couple time used to happen after the children went to bed, but as they got older we could hardly stay up as late as they did, much less carve out time for coherent conversation.) We don't have a set agenda for our dates, but we always have something we need to talk through,

There's a song I would teach my pre-school classes that went, "Love is something if you give it away, give it away, give it away. Love is something if you give it away, you end up having more." It's true, isn't it? The more you love, the more you receive love in return. The more you hate, the more you receive hate in return. Mathematically, it's a pretty good deal. God is the same way. We've been talking about why we would put God first and why we would offer Him our best. Ou

Every time I sit down to read or listen to Scripture lately, the word Beloved jumps out. Not some general greeting, not some non-descript hello, but “Beloved.” I know there are a million other ways to address the reader, but right now, beloved is the way I am being addressed. It’s made me wonder. What does it mean to be beloved? Is it more than being loved? Is it different? Why is this so important right now? The verses that I have read are generally pieces of advice given to

Have you ever wanted to be a superhero? When I was little, I had my answer at the ready in case I was ever asked what superpowers I wanted to have bestowed upon me. Because someone was going to ask. I wanted to fly and have the ability to become invisible. Not because I wanted to save the world, but because I wanted to fly to school rather than wait for the bus. I wanted to go into rooms and conversations that I wasn't allowed to be in so I could get the inside scoop on whate

I want to say YES to God. Really I do. If He asks something of me, I want to do it without hesitation, without reservation, and without arguing. But that's not what I do. Probably half the time, I want to say YES but I get stuck on some part of it that I don't like, can't do well, or don't believe I have the ability to do. It's frustrating because I know deeply that doing what God asks always works out and works out well. So how do I quit arguing? I think part of it is listen

Have you ever wondered what it means that we are made in the image of God? An image is a reflection or a representation of something else. If we are made in the image of God, then we have to wonder - what do we reflect? What do we represent? What is God's image? Once we know the answers to these questions, we can try to reflect this image more clearly, don't you think? I have found a few clues that may help us out: God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God live

We were driving across a featureless landscape for a long time, looking for anything interesting to see on the hike we were planning. There was nothing in sight and our destination was near. Suddenly, the ground fell away and exploded into hues of gold, red, purple, pink, and yellow. The breathtaking beauty of the canyon was hidden from view on the surface, even though the brilliance within seemed to fill the world once we were there. As we come to the end of the Christmas se

Have you chosen your word for the year? I haven't really gotten into this before, but this year I have a word that has been coming up for the last month or so. I don't know if this will be my word for the year or my word for right now, but it's clearly a significant word. It's been leaping off pages as I read and listen to Scripture. Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. And so we are ... Beloved, we are God's children

What a year it has been. I was talking with my family last night at dinner and we couldn't believe that some of the things we were reminiscing about had happened in the last year. So many things to be proud of, to be happy for, and to learn from. I'd like to hear what you think about the last year and the one that has just begun. What is something you are proud of or that made you happy in the last year? What is God inviting you to for this coming year? (This could turn into