I am honored to have been asked to be a “posting participant” in the Virtual Book Tour for The Gift of Giving Life. When I first heard about The Gift of Giving Life: Rediscovering the Divine Nature of Pregnancy and Birth, I brushed it aside, simply because of the mounting list of books I wanted […]

This time of year, our souls beg to be examined, nurtured and validated. In essence, fed. In 2006, I crafted my first version of Permission to Shine (which at that time was subtitled, The Art of Being Beautiful) with a burning in my heart to give good women the go-ahead to beautify and nurture their […]

This picture displays beautifully why I should trust in the wild, sweet and unknown future of my 14 year-old daughter. Why I should place my confidence in such a beautiful “free spirit” She who seems unable to be tamed. She who wont pick up her things, stays up too late, sometimes back-talks, loves everything loud, […]

This was no ordinary adoption.The phraseordinary adoption,in and of itself, is an oxymoron (what adoption is ordinary?) but this story our story really is a rare and precious miracle. The miracle did not lie just in receiving a new baby, although that, to me, was the sweetest part. There is so much more, so many […]

I saw Kung Fu Panda 2 with my family over the weekend. It was crazy and cute … I loved the emphasis on finding inner peace and its tie-in to self realization. Jeff and I have pretty much decided that if our children (now in their tweens and early teens) left our home with no […]

Following is my favorite poem, “The Invitation” by Oriah. Hadn’t read it in awhile, then picked it back up this afternoon as certain phrases fromkept ruminating in mybusy head… It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting […]

After God created Adam He declared, “I will make an helpmeet for him…” (Genesis 2:18) What exactlyis a “helpmeet”? I developed my own offbeat translation of “helpmeet” in my early 20’s as I secretly struggled with the idea that woman might somehow be an “afterthought” or second-seat creation. Jokingly, I would spout off to a […]

  These are my babies, 7 years ago this month…at the height of their innocent glory. In honor of Mothers Day and lessons learned frommychildrencontinuing to raise me, I have come up with Twelve Reasons to Learn at the Feet of Our Children: 1) Your child (depending on how old you were at his or […]

Building upon what I’ve shared in the last couple of posts, regarding the “new” way Jesus the man taught and treated women, I want to share my thoughts on one of the most intriguing and least-understood figures in the New Testament…the Woman of Samaria. Also known as the Woman at the Well. On His way […]

Today Jeff and I taught our daughter’s Sunday School class a group of eager and restless 12 and 13 year-olds. Because it’s Easter Sunday, we tag-teamed the story of the last days of Christ’s life: the washing of the apostles’ feet, the Last Supper, the prayer in Gethsemene, betrayal and arrest, Crucifixion, burial, Resurrection… There […]

What was the “collective ideology – prevailing thought “consciousness” – about women back when Christ walked the Earth?We all know that the Pharisees and Sadducees (the guys in charge) were very rule bound very “letter of the law.” What were the customs and traditions that women were bound by back then? And NOW…what are wedenied […]

I am in love with the little book, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It’s so inspiring the wayit’s crafted, being written as if Jesus is speaking directly to you, in a daily devotional format. Apparentlythe intimate exchange inSarah’s moments of stillness withher journal – after reflecting upon certain biblical passages -was how the book was […]

I heard this”greatness” list on a group teaching call recently and loved it. I love it because it affirms my position that “average”, “status quo”, “getting by” and “doing pretty good”is NOT what we were born for… THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GREATNESS 1. You shall remember who you are. 2. You shall let go of […]