This week I said goodbye to a good friend. She’s the friend who has walked with me through some of my greatest joys – the birth of two of my baby girls, finding my sweet spot in ministry, and learning a new language. She’s gone with me to book signings and baby showers. We have laughed until our bellies ached and sang together at the top of our [...] Keep Reading
relationships
Navigating Grief: When Someone You Love Dies Suddenly
By Kimberly Rose Your mom lives forever. At least that is what I told my little girl self growing up. Or at least I was counting on that as truth since I was being raised by a single parent. I grew up poor, and we moved a lot. I have three older sisters, but there are a dozen years between us. For many years, that meant I had my mom all [...] Keep Reading
Navigating Grief: When you have to say goodbye to the place your heart feels home
By Melissa Ens “Good grief, Charlie Brown.” I’ve sighed a lot these last few years and wondered what kind of grief, exactly, is the good kind? True, there is godly sorrow that leads to repentance, (2 Cor. 7:10) but what I’ve needed is sorrow that would lead to healing. In December 2011, my husband, our 3 children and I moved to Peru, where we [...] Keep Reading
The Ministry of Presence
Last night I woke to the sound of my 5-year-old whimpering in the next room. I ran in to check on her. “Mama, mama, I had the baddest dream,” came her trembling voice. I climbed into the top bunk bed next to her and laid down. “Mama’s here,” I assured her. She put her little hand in mine. Immediately, I felt her body relax. She drifted back to [...] Keep Reading
In Sickness and in Health
Thirteen years ago I stood up on a mountain in the presence of a host of friends and family and promised to care for my husband in sickness and in health. At age 25, this promise did not feel like much of a sacrifice. Some of the other promises I made to him that day felt like a leap of faith but health was something I didn’t think much about or [...] Keep Reading
