Dear Lord…. Here we are, God. Year 2. Lord, You keep working Your perfect plan, and I continue to be grateful. Thank You for being with Catie through freshman year, God. You were right there with her—through the nights she stayed out with new friends and the days when she was homesick and weary. Through...Continue Reading
Two realities defined this summer: Texas suffered a terrible heat wave and you ran hundreds of miles. Running and running and running. When the temperature stayed in triple digits? You ran. When you needed to unwind? You ran. When your legs throbbed, you still ran. You ran at 5 in morning, 5 at night, and...Continue Reading
Thank you, sir, for this Summer of Ping Pong. The hundreds of games we played together (ping! pong! ping! pong!) set the summer tone. You are bouncing between full-teenager (your first phone & mission trip) and full-kid. This was a hard summer to be the baby of our family. You hate feeling left behind as...Continue Reading
Dear Elisabeth (on your first day of 10th grade)… Today, two of your teachers announced that theirs is the hardest class in high school. For the rest of us, this warning would worry us. But you love a challenge. Love it. Case in point, lifeguarding defined your summer. You heard the city pool needed guards, and the...Continue Reading
A month ago, our daughter Catie left for her summer at Camp Lone Star. She’s serving as a counselor. We’re happy for her to have this unique, wonderful experience. And we’re sad for us because we miss her so much. Last week, I got to serve as the V(ery) I(nspirational) P(erson) at CLS. Besides the...Continue Reading
This year, I’ve traveled over thousands of miles, all over the United States, to lead women’s retreats. Every place I go, I see the same need. Women are starving for real, face-to-face connection. Over and over, they share stories about feeling lonely and stuck–and they’re looking for answers. A women’s retreat is the answer. Here’s where women...Continue Reading
Dear Nate… (on your first day of Seventh Grade) This year is already different. You are different. You’re growing up, exploring everything, and very much transforming into your own person. I’m honored and exhilarated to watch you become your own, unique person. In a family of runners, you’re trying football instead. All your siblings hated...Continue Reading
The other day a memory popped up of you on your first day of Preschool. I was struck by how your first-day grin has not changed. Back then—and on the first day of eighth grade—your smile looks the same: excited, silly, anxious, and grinning like you have a secret. That was twelve years ago and,...Continue Reading
It’s been a bit of bad news lately, but here is something that makes me smile. I’m sharing it with you because it’s beautiful and a captivating illustration of the Bible study I shared with hundreds of wonderful friends in Kentucky sometimes a picture is worth one million words I would use to describe my...Continue Reading
Sixteen-year-old Catie tells why you should send your kids to summer camp. After nearly a decade of going to camp, Catie has advice about what camp food is really like, how to fall asleep when you're away from home, and the best part of camp: learning you can live without your cell phone.Continue Reading
