 You want me to do what? Standing in the jam-packed, sweaty New York City subway, hanging on to a pole for dear life—while simultaneously trying not to fall on anyone—God decides here of all places to ask me to do something uncomfortable. “I said, tell her I love her.” The response was crystal clear. I knew this was God and not my idea because everyone knows there are certain unspoken rules of the NY subway. And, I was about to break all of them...
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 You've heard “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” and it's true. A woman is a very dangerous creature. She is a supporter, encourager, nurturer, caretaker with a loyalty to where her investment lies. When something hurts her loyalty, emotions plus a longing for justice ignite the wick in her heart to launch a fireball aimed at the offender.
Do you remember your first break up? I do... The guy cheated on me and I was so angry all I could think about was payback (not recommended). Then there was the gossip. Girls not only beat me up with their words but they would do it to my friends too. There was a part of me that just wanted to scream back at them and I remember daily walking around high school with a burning feeling in my chest. In college, I had to defend my faith. It was one thing for someone to offend me but entirely another when my professor offended my God. I think that was the first time I felt rage. I didn’t quite know what to do with it and I still don’t. The most angry I've ever been though is when my husband and I were very hurt by a church we served on staff with. It has taken years of counseling to unravel what I believe at times was righteous anger (injustices that also hurt the heart of God). I'm sure you can recall times where you've been angry, furious even. So, what do we do with our "fury" when we've been "scorned," wounded, and provoked by friends, family, our bosses, or maybe even our church?  Do you ever think about what you think about?
Seriously. What’s going on in that head of yours? What do you believe? You may be thinking of what Biblical knowledge you have. Like what you believe about Jesus. What you believe to be True. How you view the world around you in light of that. Maybe you have doubts. You’re reading this blog thinking, “Kaley… I genuinely don’t really know what I believe.” That’s totally fine. You do not have to have this figured out. God’s not scared of your doubts and questions. He can handle it. Ask away. Wrestle with this. You may not even care. That’s not important to you right now. That’s cool too. BUT did you know that no matter where we’re at, we all have some kind of formal and functional belief system that we operate our life out of. So, what do you believe?  We're packing up and headed out...
Our family loves to go camping. Does yours? As our last "hurrah" of the summer, our family is ditching the heat for some cool mountain air and all of our devices for adventure. I'm so ready. Packing for this camping trip reminded me of a writing I did from a time Gage and I did a cross-country adventure. I wanted to share it with you today because... There are some simple things we can do to prevent or even reverse those chapters of our lives where we burn the candle at both ends for so long that we have become simply ashes. Check out this note I jotted down from our campsite in Monterey Bay, CA to find out three three questions that will take you from burnt out to back on fire.  “Do you want some ABC gum?”
As a kid, when someone asked you this question, you quickly learned to say, “NO!” Why? ABC wasn’t a cute brand name; it stood for “Already Been Chewed.” If you said “yes,” your friend would spit out a saliva covered, flavorless wad into your open hand. It was hilarious as a ten-year-old… and disgusting. The thing is, a lot of us are probably not willing to accept any ABC gum, but we’re totally ok with an ABC faith. Here's what I mean...  As I sit here on the first flight back home, I’m reflecting on the last week in the Dominican Republic, serving on a mission trip with the Paradigm Foundation.
It’s hard to pinpoint just one part of this trip to call my ‘favorite’ so, I’ll talk about two things that stick out most...  As we all know at this point, Father’s Day is tomorrow. While we’re preparing to honor and celebrate the men who have been a father or a father figure to us, I’ve been thinking…
What are the TOP things I've learned from the two greatest fathers I’ve known- my dad and grandfather? As I narrow these thoughts down, I hope you too reflect on the lessons your own father or other great men in your life have taught you. Share in the comments! Now to let you in on some incredible life lessons. The top thing I learned from my dad is...  The past summers I’ve had a babysitter come throughout the week to help me while I juggle work and kids. But, this year looks different. Summer 2022 is the summer I’m home and fully on mom duty. My work hasn’t disappeared. I just want time with my littles before my oldest heads off to Kindergarten.
I don’t know about you, but I was overwhelmed when the last week of school hit. What are we going to do all day? How do I juggle it all.? “Okay, Kaley, breathe.” When I stepped out of the panic, I realized I wanted this next few months to be purposeful. A summer that’s intentional and fun. One where core memories are made. And, that’s not just going to happen by itself. So, here are three simple things I did to get a family plan together to have the best summer ever with our kids.  Can you believe that May 2022 is already wrapping up? We've spent our weekends dashing from graduation party to graduation part. Just yesterday, my oldest graduated from preschool. May is always wild and ends with a bang- the beginning of sweet summertime.
Since we've zeroed in on building up Mama's in May, I wanted to end with an excerpt from the devotional book that I wrote and published in the dead middle of the wild, fun, turbulent waters of my own motherhood experience, "Matrimony, Motherhood and Me." I'll tell you one thing, it's easier to write on something you've already been through because it's reflective. When you reread it, it doesn't cut at you because you've already healed. It doesn't push you in the right direction because you're already there. I wrote this devotional from the dead middle of mothering littles, a season I'm still currently in. This entry in particular seems to elbow me right between the ribs because fighting for space is a battle we're still in as a family. Maybe you are too. So, let's talk about space. Because, as mothers, it's sacred...  So often I am completely stilled that the God of the universe would answer my greatest and deepest desire with the story that he has.
From as early as I can remember, I have always dreamed of being a mom. As the oldest of four children, I always felt like I was my siblings' second momma. When I was little and someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was always “a mom”, or “I want to work with orphans and love them as my own.” It's funny how God plants those little seeds in our hearts from the youngest of ages. However, God's timeline was different from mine, but gracious. It was perfect. The miracles he has worked in my life have drawn me closer to him in ways that I never imagined possible. He took that desire to care for orphans and children and made it my story through adoption. So, THIS is my story and my greatest heart’s desire is to use all for His glory… |
