Thirty minutes. That’s how long I had to lie motionless inside the MRI machine. Excruciating pain radiated from my shoulder, down my bicep, and into my hand. All I could do was breathe and pray. One deep cleansing breath caused the technician to pull me […]
Tag: daily choices
Don’t Let Shame Make You Hide
You only need two things to have a “summer body.” Summer. And a body. Wear shorts. Pose for the picture. Go for a swim with your family. Don’t let shame make you hide your body. And for goodness sake, don’t let the shaming come from […]
The Secret Power of Small Beginnings
I arrived at the gym that morning fully armed with well-rehearsed excuses dressed up as reasons to quit. While others managed to lift twenty or thirty pounds, the weight of the five-pound dumbbell in my left hand was nearly unbearable. Sweat trickled down my back […]
Our Choices Matter
Have you ever tried plantains? The ripe ones are sweet and when baked or fried they make a tasty treat. A common meal in Belize would feature rice, beans, and stewed chicken with a few slices of fried plantains on the side. The other day […]
Can I Tell You a Story?
Can I tell you a story? One blessing of growing up in a small African American church is that I learned the importance of testimonies. After accepting Christ during Sunday school, I was taught that every Christian has a story to tell. Psalm 107:2a says, […]
Craving Perfect Peace
Pray. Sweat. Eat. Repeat. I’m stuck in an endless activity loop as these words move from a choice to a chore. I feel overwhelmed. I’m craving perfect peace. The verse on my heart these past few days is: You will keep the mind that is […]
What’s In a Name?
I can’t eat meat or dairy at this point in my life. They both cause discomfort and unpleasantness in my body. I’ve spent the last 11 years explaining over and over and over that avoiding gluten is about decreasing my fibromyalgia pain and not about […]
Chosen, Royal, Holy, Peculiar
Chosen. Royal. Holy. Peculiar. What do these four words have in common? Each term describes us as believers. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation. And we are a peculiar people. As I read 1 Peter 2:9 in various translations, […]
Are We There Yet?
My fitness watch is rude. Somedays, it interrupts as I take a break between sets to ask, “Finished your workout?” Today when it happened, it was like a child on a road trip asking, “Are we there yet?” The notification comes with three choices; END […]
True Strength Has No Gender
Strength. Relative strength. Absolute strength. Godly strength. How do we determine what strength is and who has it? What does it mean to be strong for your age or strong for a woman? Strong in Christ is strong. There’s no male or female Christian strength. […]