I feel like a piece of fuselage, smoldering on the beach. In a beautiful place, surrounded by the good life, but still pretty much a hot mess. I’m Wrecked. But what I’ve learned recently is that while I might be in a place right now that’s not comfortable, that’s not pretty…it’s important.  This is the place where I grow.  This is the place where I will make decisions that shape the rest of my life into one of deeper compassion. This is where I choose what matters to me. A Different Path In most of the western world, we spend […]

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It’s hard work, parenting. The struggle between parents and teenagers is as old as humanity.  Adam and Eve had their hands full with Cain and Abel, that’s for sure.  And most of us will end up with a happier ending than theirs. What adoptive parents often learn the hard way, though, is that parenting kids who have experienced loss or had painful histories can increase the challenge.  A lot. To put it bluntly, our girls arrived in our family with a lot of heartache.  A lot of baggage.  A lot of expectations, some not entirely realistic. It’s still hard for […]

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Welcome to Fiction Friday.  Each Friday, I’ve shared with y’all a glimpse into the mind of Zach the Zombie and some of his friends.  Today, a little more about Zach’s Rot. You know the drill–this is only very minimally edited, and voice is still bouncing around a lot.  I still appreciate grace and forgiveness, please…no red pens!  🙂   The sun sat bright and high in the sky as Zach stumbled along the road. “Damn, I thought that finger would hold out for at least another week,” he thought, as the flesh of his left ring finger finally pulled away from […]

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Last weekend, 45 people dedicated their time and hard work to make a difference in the life of a Fort Wayne family. Last December, the family’s daughter, who had been adopted from Ethiopia, developed an infection that stole her life.  Since then, their home has been a place of sadness.  Haunted by memories of that day, the family has been struggling to find peace. When they reached out to us for prayer about their situation, Mark and I offered to come over and maybe help them pick some paint colors.  What started as a simple request for prayer, God turned […]

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Travel is today’s theme…but not for me this time! Today, two blogger friends of mine are out of the country for two very different dreams. The secretly incredible Jeremy Statton is growing his family by adopting two amazing children from China. The extraordinarily energetic Kimanzi Constable is living his dream as he speaks in Australia. I’m honored to guest post for both of them today. At Jeremy’s blog Living Better Stories, I’m sharing the story of how my selfish life changed through adoption. For Kimanzi’s Tales of Work, I’m sharing Three Secrets to Living Your Dream. Go check them BOTH […]

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