Much like the trees in my tattoo, there have been stretches of my life that have felt barren, empty and hopeless. Difficult circumstances have made me question my self-worth. Through my faith journey, I’ve grown to understand that God sees me as extremely valuable. When I look down at my arm, the birds in the air and the roots of the trees…

God first brought me ten tiny fingers & ten tiny toes. Then, He brought me tiny twins that were siblings of my first foster love. The ways God has shown up since are unbelievable and undeniable: meals delivered, bottles and laundry washed, groceries delivered. Healthy babies, supportive family members, wonderful social workers, and His grace and peace over our home. Letting these…

I really struggled to recover from my divorce. When my wife left, there were many days of being so numb, I needed to leave myself notes to know what to do next. There were tears from stress and loneliness. I often hid from my friends because I was embarrassed and didn’t want anyone to know. That included people at church. I felt…

After 20 years of serving on staff at Wooddale, I’ll be retiring on May 31, 2021. God brought me to Wooddale as a broken, “cracked pot” after going through a difficult divorce from a 26-year marriage. He used Wooddale to redefine my life through missions and serving our global partner missionaries who live and work here, near and far. At that time,…

I received a late-night phone call from my dad that knocked the wind out of me. My mom had a stroke and because of an existing heart condition, was being rushed into surgery. Time wasn’t on her side. My husband and I couldn’t go to the hospital due to COVID restrictions. Grabbing my women’s small group study book, I started skimming my…

The first holiday season after the death of my husband was like no other I’d experienced in my life. From the outside, my husband (Ken) seemed young and healthy. No one expected he’d be diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer. My 12-year-old son thought his dad would be around for a long time and in his grief, experienced a life-threatening…