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Summer Like a Kid Again
Summer is supposed to be a “carefree” time, but for most working moms, there’s nothing carefree about the crunch of kid activities, organizing childcare, vacation planning, and—before you know it—getting ready for school to start again. This is the reality of “mom summer," but "mom summer" doesn't…
I Don’t Understand, God
I wanted today's blog to be a little different. As many of you know, my daughter, Annie, has been suffering a debilitating battle. This has been one of the hardest, darkest times for my family. In the midst of all the pain and appointments and struggles to see…
You CAN Do the Impossible
My life is always a bit hectic, but there have been times when things just seemed to flow. When my family was basically happy and healthy, when my relationships were strong and my career was comfortably challenging. The past few months have not been one of those times. Life has…
Give Stress the Boot
One of the most important (and hardest) lessons I’ve learned in life is how to deal with stress. It's something that plagues all of us at some point in our lives, but especially around the end of the year. Between holidays, meeting year-end goals at work, and making…
What Does Your Confidence Look Like?
How much do you depend on how you look to give you confidence? I’m not necessarily talking about physical attractiveness, I mean the whole image: clothes, shoes, makeup jewelry, how you fix your hair, how “put together” you look and feel. Many women slip into those things like…
Savor the Rest of Summer
Summer is supposed to be a “carefree” time, but for most working moms, there’s nothing carefree about the crunch of kid activities, organizing childcare, vacation-planning, and—before you know it—getting ready for school to start again. This is the reality of “mom summer," but "mom summer" doesn't have to…
Courage to Do Impossible Things
My life is always a bit hectic, but there have been times when things just seemed to flow. When the family was basically happy and healthy, when my relationships were strong and my career was comfortably challenging. This is not one of those times. Life is heavy for…
What Does YOUR Office Bully Look Like?
The mother of Josh, one of my former co-workers, used to always tell the story of how, during his high school years, Josh confronted a bully that was tormenting one of his younger brothers. Josh cornered the bully in the locker room and pinned him against a locker while…
Once in a Lifetime Mentor: Norma, 89
I’ve been blessed by many mentors in my life, but Norma Coldwell might be the most precious to me. I met Norma about five years ago through her son Cameron, who is part of my bible study class at church. Cameron has Multiple Sclerosis, and in 2009,…
Look Out: Smart Christians Ahead
Most of what I really needed to know about operating a business I learned working at the family orchard and fruit stand starting around age five. Later in life, I also earned a degree from Harvard Business School. My time at Harvard was hard and wonderful, and I’m…
I Wanted a To-Do List, God Wanted Me.
There’s something so appealing about the idea of knowing and pursuing your calling, isn’t there? Maybe it’s just me who feels this way, but I doubt it! I think we all want to know that we’re on the right path. And that’s what a “calling” really implies, isn’t…
Pay Attention NOW; It's the Journey, Not the Destination
Are you too busy looking towards what’s next to appreciate where you are today? This week, regular 4word contributor Stacy Repult asks us to take our eyes off the future and spend some time looking around us instead. If you’re goal driven like me, this can be a…
Running Broken
Like many of you, I watched closely last year, as a deadly bombing at the finish of the Boston Marathon and an ensuing manhunt seemed to turn the entire city of Boston inside out. I was in Boston at the time, and had many hours in unanticipated hotel…
Love and Forgiveness after You’ve Been Hurt
Are there people in your life that you are struggling to love? This week 4word contributor Stacy Repult shares the story of how she struggled to love her dementia-stricken father, even as she became his primary caretaker. Her deeply personal story is a great reminder that when our…
Do What You Can
I have two inspiring stories to share with you this week about people using their gifts to serve God at work. One story involves a pair of rich industrialists who used their wealth and power to try to better the lives and the working conditions of their employees.…
A Path to Joy in Singleness
Valentine’s Day is coming up, but instead of a blog on romance, my guest writer today will share her story of singleness. Jennifer Howell is a business marketing development officer (and 4word woman!) here in Dallas. She has a passion for encouraging single women, and she’s currently launching…
Goals, Grounded in Grace
Every January we hear a lot about resolutions and goals, about doing more and being better in the New Year. And there’s nothing wrong with that, not really. I’m a huge proponent of goal-setting and it’s good to reassess and reaffirm those goals periodically. I put lots of…
But Mary Pondered
This time of year there’s a lot to be excited about. Especially if you’re a working mom like me, it’s easy to fill up your time with holiday preparations, decorations, family traditions, office parties, church events, and shopping trips. We’re all running on instinct at this point (well,…
Got Joy?
We Christians are supposed to be full of joy, especially this time of year. So how is that working for everybody? Not easy, is it? It’s worth asking: what exactly is Christian joy supposed to look like? Christmas night five years ago my best friend, my mom, died…
Stress Less
One of the most important (and hardest) lessons I’ve learned in life is how to deal with stress. And by “deal with it,” I really mean “give it away.” Growing up, I was a very hard worker, and I was pretty smart; I rarely encountered a problem that…