Chosen Series: Part 8

We left Peter broken down and crying under the weight of his betrayal. There was no undoing that and there was no forgetting the eye contact with Jesus in that moment, hanging on the cross, dying, and now betrayed by the ones closest to Him... So Peter, having taken up the chains of shame, slinks off back to the familiar. In her TED talk, "The Power of Vulnerability", Brene Brown says that "shame is the fear of disconnection." How true that is. Peter, as I have been at times, must have been so overcome with the fear of having destroyed the relationship...

It's Here

Somebody get me a 13.1 bumper sticker! Friends, it is real. This time tomorrow I will be running the Dallas Rock n Roll half marathon. I am excited. I am nervous. I am in denial that it is already time. My friends and I are about to jump in the car and drive to Dallas where we will pick up our race packets, go meet with As Our Own staff and other runners, have dinner with BCF runners, and then check into the hotel for a few hours of sleep (hopefully) before waking up eeeeeeeeearly to run 13.1 miles. It will be hard. I will be sore. I will have...

Chosen Series: Part 7

At this very moment I am sitting in Mugwalls, a coffee shop in College Station,TX. This is one of the most familiar towns and even one of the most familiar coffee shops in my life. I spent five straight years in this college town. And many hours were spent "studying" in this coffee shop. Well, it wasn't Mugwalls back then. It was Coffee Station, but nevertheless, it is familiar: the bar, the stairs, the neighboring businesses. I know them. I know how this place feels. I know how to drive the roads of this town without wondering if I know where...

Becoming a Half-Marathoner

My blog world, I wanted to share with you a great big scary challenge I have taken on. In a week and a half, I will be running the Dallas Rock n Roll Half Marathon. That's right 13.1 miles. I freak out a little every time I think about it. If you have known me for any good amount of time, you know that running is not my idea of a fun past-time. For some of you, running comes easy and is actually something that refreshes and recharges you, but for others of us, well...that just isn't the case. So then, why sign up for a half-marathon? I'm so glad...

Chosen Series:Part 6

If you remember, in part 5 of this series, we talked about believing what Jesus says about us over listening to the crowd. Pretty awesome, right? I mean, we can know who we are. We can walk in complete security of the identity we have in Jesus. And how great is it that we all do this so easily?! Ok. Let's be honest, that last part...the easy part...that isn't true. I wish it was. It would be amazing if we were all living out our days in the full...

Chosen Series: Part 5

Jesus and Peter had a unique relationship. I think it may be the truest form of friendship ever lived. They wounded each other. Peter wounding Jesus because Peter was weak and he acted out in the passion of the moment. But it was the same impulsive passion that caused him to speak boldly and stand up for Christ, even if his actions were misinformed. And Jesus wounding Peter, speaking sharp words to him because Jesus loved Peter enough to risk wounding...

Becoming Sevened: A Book Review

Sometime in November or December, Jen Hatmaker tweeted that she was looking for people to read her newest book and blog a review about it. I love reading her blog and her tweets are right up my ally so I jumped at the chance to read this book. "7" was emailed to me just before Christmas but I had to wait till I returned home to download it since I was without internet over the holidays (poor me). "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess" is just...

Becoming-A Year's Journey

After reading my friend's blog on the year we just left, I was inspired to take some time to reflect on my own journey of 2011. It was quite a year. January: Fresh off the trip to India with As Our Own, my head and heart were still spinning. I had fallen in love with beautiful little girls who had been rescued from human trafficking. I came back ready to live beyond myself, to make decisions about my life as though I were a parent, making decisions...