I am the only woman in my family who drives, and it wasn’t until I turned twenty-four that I found the courage to get behind the wheel.  (Feel free to laugh, I won’t hold a grudge.) I can tell you the exact moment I began to fear navigating a vehicle. I must have been five or six, and my father was attempting to teach my mother how to drive. My sister and I sat in the back, excited at the prospect of soon having two parents to chauffeur us around. My father drove to a back road out in rural Maryland, got out of the driver’s seat and handed the wheel over to my mother. She must have driven all of twenty feet when she realized there were train tracks approaching. Immediately she hit the brakes and refused to move. My father assured her there was no train in sight,…

If you’re active enough in the Pinterest realm, you’ve probably encountered this popular quote: Grow where you’re planted. It’s basically an admonishment; one that encourages us to see every place and stage in our lives – no matter how bad or unexpected – as an opportunity to learn and grow beyond our current standing. If you’ve been attending any millennial church consistently enough, you’ve probably heard a different version: You grow where you’re planted. The premise is pretty much the same. When you intentionally commit yourself wholeheartedly to a space or place, and develop roots there, you will find the sustenance you need to grow into a better version of yourself. Both versions are true. Both are valuable and applicable to our everyday lives. Both are essential to the Christian walk. But I have come to realize that neither will get you very far when it comes to maximizing your…

Dear (Insert Your Name Here), I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be blessed. I think it’s a word we like the sound of and a concept/state of being we all want for ourselves as Christians – and on some level even as human beings in general – but I don’t quite think we understand what it means TO be truly blessed. Somehow, we have made the mistake (I believe) of attaching ‘blessed’ to material gain and social standing as Christians. We hashtag #blessed on our Instagram photos posing by our new cars, or use the word when we tell others about the rare opportunities we get. ‘Blessed and highly favored’ is one we frequently use to describe ourselves even in anticipation of some sort of wealth or social gain. And I get it – we all want the blessings of God. And we know that…