Caroline Rose Sanders 3 Minute Read When I was a little girl of eleven years, I lived in a rental house in Bryan, Texas with my three siblings, my wonderful stay-at-home mother and our hardworking M.D. (which stands, of course, for My Dad). Though we were enjoying homeschooling, getting involved in a new church and playing in our backyard that passers-by…
Jenni Marie 6 Minute Read As one of the last to get married among my groups of friends, I had been to my share of weddings. I had been in my share of weddings. I had spent my share of Ben & Jerry’s nights convinced my own wedding would never happen. So when it came time to have a wedding,…
Mandy J. Hoffman 6 Minute Read It seems to be popular thought these days that our society is more connected than ever before in known history. For example, we no longer have to wait for the Pony Express to cross the rivers, mountains, and dusty plains to bring us a note from our dearest friend. In fact, most of us don’t…
Caroline Rose Sanders 4 Minute Read “I bet you and your siblings are really close, huh?” someone asks me yet again. “Yup!” I reply. “We are!” There’s not much use in going deeper into the topic with someone who can never relate. The moment they hear that we were homeschooled, they’ve already imagined us in our own personal one-room schoolhouse with…
Caroline Rose Sanders 5 Minute Read Your mama could’ve called it from a mile away. That sweet boy who was “just a good friend” has gone and broken your heart. Or just as likely, you’ve broken his. And now you’re wondering where you went wrong. After all, last you checked everything was platonic, and now you’re suddenly in a sticky, complicated,…
Caroline Rose Sanders 4 Minute Read My youngest sister Jubilee is only ten. She has been the baby of our large family her entire life. However, this will not always be the case. Soon we will have a new sister, nine-year-old Meggie from Eastern Europe. Meggie has spent both the summer and Christmas breaks with us this year and we are…
Kami Williams 3 Minute Read It was a common scene for us. My friend and I were taking a walk in one of our favorite places. It was a beautiful and breezy fall day with plenty of conversation. My friend needed to vent — a lot — and I was ready to listen. Still, the more she talked, the more…
Caroline Rose Sanders 7 Minute Read Today we have an interview with a special guest. Kristen Strong of Chasing Blue Skies is here talking about friendship, getting along with other women and true community. Don’t miss this!
Vicki V. Lucas 5 Minute Read If you met me, you would instantly classify me as an extrovert. I’ve always lived under the label of extrovert, but I’ve always felt like I didn’t quite fit that label. Despite enjoying my time with people, I’ve spent many hours on the back of my horse, riding across the prairies. Alone. Just my horse,…
Guest Author 5 Minute Read As an only child, a diligent student, and now a single 20-something, solitude has never been very difficult for me, and I could easily rattle off a list of ways introverted behaviors—silent meditation, journaling, solitary prayer—contribute to a rich spiritual life. As a teenager, I would have been very happy to spend every Sunday worshipping on my own beneath a tree. Only as I matured as a Christian did I begin to understand that whatever virtues we introverts might possess, these virtues are most fit for kingdom work when sharpened against the very real strength of extroverts.
Emily C. Gardner 3 Minute Read During a two week stint of house-sitting last month, my husband and I became well acquainted with our fellow occupants, Hana and Maile, a rambunctious pair of Labrador Retrievers. I enjoy dogs and, for the most part, they like me, but after fourteen days with those two (pictured above), I discovered we have very different…
Caroline Rose Sanders 3 Minute Read When I was first told that I had the gift of encouragement, it sounded kind of frilly. Why not something more powerful, like healing or teaching or speaking in languages I’ve never learned? I wanted to be on the front lines of the spiritual battle, not sitting on the sidelines patting someone’s hand and telling…
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