The Road Less Traveled

Recently I made some sugar cookies for my new pastor and his wife. He's an interim pastor, so he'll only be in town for a few months, but I wanted to make sure he knows he is welcome while he's here. For the cookies, I tried a new recipe, and it was a complete success! Usually, making sugar cookies is a pain. There's lots of measuring, mixing, chilling, and rolling. Well, that's not the case with these cookies. They only contain 3 ingredients, and the dough doesn't have to be chilled or rolled. Plus, even though they're made from a cake mix, they're totally free of artificial colors. Ingredients: • 1 box (15.25 ounces) Betty Crocker Super Moist French Vanilla cake mix • 2 eggs • 1/2 cup vegetable oil Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. 2. Using a mixer, combine all ingredients on low speed. (Or mix ingredients by hand.) 3. Scoop dough onto parchment paper using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie dough scoop. Leave at least ...

On Christmas, I visited some family and friends who live in another state. I don't get to see them very often, so I enjoyed getting to visit with them. Overall, I had a pretty good holiday, but I was saddened by the poor behavior of one of our family friends. He's only a few years older than I am, so I was expecting us to get along quite well. But unfortunately, that was not the case. He made many derogatory, sexist comments about me and suggested that there is something "wrong" with me because I don't have a boyfriend. Then he proceeded to make racist remarks about my ex-boyfriend and make fun of me for having dated someone outside my race. I was shocked by his behavior, but I knew that he was only saying those things to stir up drama. This young man had a rough upbringing, and for most of his childhood, he knew nothing but drama. Of course, this doesn't excuse his behavior, but it helped me to understand why he would treat me in such a way when I'd...

Last week I visited my great-aunt, who is 82 years old and is on bed rest for an injured hip. She lives with my great-uncle, who is 92 years old and is in a wheelchair. I had the privilege of helping my great-uncle prepare dinner and clean the kitchen while my great-aunt rested. (Of course, she wanted to help, too, but I insisted that she follow her doctor's orders by getting some rest.) I also enjoyed talking to my great-aunt and keeping her company because I could tell that she was bored with just sitting in bed all day. Even though my great-aunt and great-uncle aren't very wealthy by worldly standards, they're rich in the eyes of God. They've stored up their "treasures" in Heaven by investing in home and family rather than fame and fortune. You don't have to look far to see that our culture values money more than it values people. Just look at all the toddlers in daycare and the elderly in nursing homes. Instead of putting family first, we run off...

Last night I was browsing The Mighty (an Internet community for people with illnesses and disabilities) when I came across the following post: As a person with ADHD, that post felt like a slap in the face. But let me tell you, I'm not here to judge Dara Lee (or others who feel the way she does). We've all been there. We've all said something that was well-intended but hurtful. It doesn't mean that we're bad people. However, even though we mean well, our words can still have a negative impact on those around us. So before we share our opinions with the world, it's important to ask ourselves, "Is this what Jesus would say?" Do you think that Jesus would say such hurtful things about people with ADHD, autism, and other learning differences? I sure don't. He created us, so obviously He loves us and has a purpose for us, just like He does for everybody else. No child is a "mistake." All people—including those with disabilities—are be...

“You have PCOS.”  Wait, what? I thought. Yeah, I’d heard of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). I knew what it was. I just didn’t think it could happen to me—until it did. Last Monday, what I’d expected to be a routine doctor’s visit ended up being something totally different. Sure, I had a few complaints—weight gain, worse-than-usual acne, and wacky, irregular periods. But I assumed it wasn’t a big deal.  I was wrong.  For those of you who don’t already know, PCOS is a hormonal imbalance that happens when a woman’s body produces too many androgens (male hormones). Not only can it cause annoying symptoms like acne and weight gain, but it can also lead to serious health problems later in life. However, if it’s treated early (like in my case), many of those problems can be avoided.  Part of me was thankful. I was relieved to know why  I’d been struggling for so long. I’d been having weird symptoms for a few years, and I felt like my doctor wasn’...

Yesterday was my pastor J’s* last day working at my church. Last month, she announced that she was going to step down from her position because of some issues that had been going on in the church. Lots of people disagreed with her leadership, and the church was starting to suffer for it. J had been thinking about it for a while, and she knew deep down in her heart that her decision was in the church’s best interest. But still, I know it must have been an incredibly painful decision, and I am in awe of her selflessness and strength.  On Sunday, J gave her last sermon at my church. During the children’s message, she showed everyone a very special item from her “mystery bag.” The mystery item turned out to be a teddy bear that I’d made for J when she was having surgery a few weeks ago. She talked about how special that bear is to her because it reminds her that she is loved. I was in awe. J was facing hostility from all sides, yet she’d never forgotten that simple act of love. T...

I have a confession to make: I am pro-life. But I’m not anti-choice.  Okay, I know some of you are confused right now, but please hear me out. I believe that all people are created in the image of God. I believe that all lives are valuable. I believe that human dignity is worth fighting for. And if you’re a Christian, I’m assuming you believe those things too.  But the thing is, a lot of pro-life efforts center around controlling others’ bodies and restricting their healthcare options—which is the exact opposite of fighting for them.  So let me make something clear:  If your idea of “activism” is standing outside health clinics, screaming obscenities at girls and women you know nothing about, you are not pro-life.  If you want to force someone with a terminal disease to spend the last few months of their life in agony, rather than allowing them to die with dignity, you are not pro-life.  If you make derogatory “jokes” about someone's...