Fall Is Not the End, It’s the Preparation
Everything a woods needs for next spring is already on the ground right now. The acorns are down. The maple seeds spun off in October. The leaf litter that’s going…
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God’s Grace in the In-Between Seasons
We have ceremonies for the beginnings and the endings. Weddings, funerals, graduations, retirement parties, baby showers. Somebody brings a cake. Nobody throws anything for the middle. And the middle is…
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God Does Not Rush the Seasons
Drive the Western Kentucky Parkway in the middle of September and look at the hills. Some trees are still fully green. Some are at peak, the kind of orange that…
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The Season That Teaches Us to Trust the Process
Trust the process. I’ve heard that sentence used to dismiss more real pain than almost any other four words in my line of work, and I’ve also watched it be…
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God’s Work Often Happens in the Unseen
A hardwood puts a serious amount of its life underground. Root systems that spread wider than the canopy, working down through clay and rock, most of it happening in the…
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God Is Present in Seasons of Shedding
There’s a stretch of road out past my house where the trees meet overhead all summer. Green tunnel, all of it. Then, when fall comes, it’s a skeleton. You can…
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Fall Is Not the Beginning of the End
The first cool morning always catches me off guard. You step out for the paper or to start the car. You notice that the air has changed overnight, and you…
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When Things Fall Away: The Sacred Power of the Fall Season
There is a week in western Kentucky, usually somewhere in the middle of September, when you can feel the whole county exhale. The air changes before the calendar does. The…
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Boundaries Without Guilt: Why a Screen Door Is Still a Door
I had a client tell me once that she felt like a hallway. Everybody walked through her to get somewhere else. However, nobody stopped to see what was on the…
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Faith, Safety, and the Nervous System
Refuge. Fortress. Strong tower. Hiding place. Shelter under His wings. A very present help in trouble. Line those words up and notice what they have in common. When the writers…
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Religious Trauma: When Faith Got Used as a Weapon
“I can’t open my Bible without my chest getting tight.” The woman who said that to me loved God. That was the part tearing her up. She was not an…
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God Is Near the Broken, Not Disappointed in Them
“I thought I was a bad Christian because I still flinch.” A woman said that in my office years into her healing, and she said it the way people confess…
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Forgiving Someone You Still Have to See
Most forgiveness advice has a quiet assumption baked into it, and once you spot it, you can’t unsee it. It assumes you can leave. Block the number, move the membership,…
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Forgiveness That Protects You
We’ve reached the last stretch of this series, and I want to open it with a picture from every Southern porch I’ve ever loved. The screen door. A screen door…
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Faith After Betrayal
There’s a question you may be carrying that feels too dangerous to say in Sunday school. You prayed over that marriage. Then, you trusted God with that friendship, that church,…
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God Is Big Enough for the Truth
The last few posts tell the truth plainly, naming the wound, feeling the anger, sorting fact from fear. Before I move into the next part of this series, I want…
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You’re Allowed to Be Angry About What Happened
Somebody told you somewhere along the way that good Christians don’t get angry. That anger means your faith isn’t strong enough, or your forgiveness isn’t real yet. I want to…
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When Grief Changes Your Faith
Grief can change the way you pray. It can change the way you read Scripture. It can change the way you worship, trust, hope, and understand God’s nearness. Loss can…
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Where I Am With God Right Now
Where I Am With God Right Now. Holding faith when it doesn’t feel steady If I’m being honest, my faith doesn’t feel neat right now. It’s not wrapped up in…
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Unique Faith-Based Ways to Nurture Mental and Emotional Wellness
A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission. It reflects the personal experience, research, and perspective of the writer. This post discusses faith-based mental wellness, emotional health, stress…