Since I can remember, I have always been an old soul. I can recall when I was in my late teen years, being drawn to the Old Testament and, most specifically, to Jeremiah and Isaiah. I loved how they interpreted and shared the Lord's voice over Israel. However, I do recall thinking, "Man, the prophets are so truthful and tell it like it is...
Gift: A notable capacity, talent, or endowment. A special ability. I first attended Prism :: Gifts over three years ago. It was the first event I'd ever seen of its kind. I was excited to be a part of it. It had been a running joke with my friends as we prepared to go attend that I had no idea what my gifting was. I was leading in ministry in a full-time capacity and was still so unaware of exactly how God had made me and was using me. I remember my dear friend, Nicole Cottrell, giving an overview on each gifting....
I remember a time when following Jesus felt impossible. I would wake up every day and think to myself, “This is just too hard. I can’t” What I didn't know at the time was how much I needed community and purpose. I desperately needed a spiritual family and for someone to tell me how I fit into that family. I needed to belong. I longed to find my purpose. Fast-forward many years later, through which God moved me forward and filled so many spaces I needed filled. I was standing outside on a dark street, the only light shining from one streetlamp,...
For the first thirty-four years of my life, I figured it was just me—too sensitive, too perceptive, too everything. I isolated myself to do everyone a favor. When I visited Phoenix over spring break in 2012, my brother called because he wanted me to meet a friend. He felt bad that I’d never had a mentor, even though I had mentored so many, so he arranged for Kathy and me to meet each other for coffee. An hour before I was to meet Kathy, a vomiting migraine pummeled me. But when you’re desperate, even searing pain won’t stop you from getting what...
Today I’m celebrating the release of my friend Addie Zierman’s second memoir Night Driving: A Story of Faith in the Dark. I’ve read the book and I think you should, too. Addie asked her community to join in the conversation with this invitation: In this synchroblog, I’m hoping you’ll tell me your stories of faith in the darkness. One of my least favorite things in both American and Christian culture is how quickly we skip over the dark spaces of our stories to get to the redemption and beauty and light. I want to spend a little time talking about...
This week, I'm guest posting on Rebecca Duvall's site In His Way. Rebecca's testimony recently aired on The 700 Club; she's an authentic voice in the faith community, and we're happy to partner with her in sharing our stories. Here's a bit of mine that you can read entirely on her site. -Renee “It then occurred to me that this was not the first time I had been given a map that failed to show many of the things I could see right in front of my eyes. All through school and university I had been given maps of life and knowledge on which there...