Ready or not --> Ready enough... courage enough faith personal growth trust

Hide and Seek is one of the favorite games at our house. The person who is "it" waits downstairs, counts to 30, and then yells at the top of their lungs, "READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!" They then hunt the corners and closets around the house, looking for the rest of the family (everyone dreads being "i...

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From "then what?" to "now what?" courage faith fear freedom god miracles trust

It's really easy to hide from your dreams. I've been practicing it for years. It looks really noble, like sticking with what you know for the stability of it, and it works. You get better and better at what you know, and you see great results. But there comes a point when you reach the edge of the s...

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Declining inspired invitations courage faith freedom god personal growth

Yesterday I had a random idea to reach out to a friend and invite her to go walking with me while our kids were at their youth activities at church. Immediately following the idea, a wave of excuses and doubts flowed in:

  • She probably already has other plans.
  • She's going to think it's a lame idea...
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Forgiveness courage faith family freedom jesus peace personal growth

Today is Good Friday, where people all over the world remember the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. In the face of unthinkable cruelty, as He hung on the cross, he pled with the Father on behalf of the people who did this: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." 

How He was able to res...

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And for that reason... choosing happiness courage faith freedom personal growth

I love watching the entrepreneurial pitch show, Shark Tank. The business owner stands before 3-4 potential investors and shares what their company is and why they're seeking investment. Each of the Sharks then takes a turn expressing either desire to invest (with an offer), or reasons why they're no...

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Setback, or setforward? choosing happiness courage faith god peace trust

When reality falls short of the ideal,

When our best-laid plans fall through, 

When sunny forecasts turn stormy;

When deep sleep is interrupted...


We can look at these as setbacks and be discouraged, or we can open ourselves to the idea that maybe there is even more available than we thought. Ma...

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In utero courage creativity faith freedom miracles peace personal growth trust

A fetus develops for about 37-40 weeks before anyone sees what she actually looks like (minus some rough scans, depending on where the mother lives and what her healthcare coverage is like). 

The mother knows her baby is there, without any doubt. The more time goes on, the more she feels that reality...

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Arrival vs. alignment choosing happiness courage faith freedom god peace trust

Peace and light are available always, as a natural result of alignment with God. No matter the circumstances, this is an available state. This is freedom. Trust, calm, creativity, flow...it's all as normal as oxygen when you're aligned this way. We need this. 

It's easy to look at life like a big lon...

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Miracles faith family god miracles trust

Today, we celebrated our twin girls' 14th birthdays. I spent some time this morning reflecting on the miracles that surrounded their emergency premature delivery and found myself in tearful awe of the many ways we saw God's hand in the experience. 

I'll spare you the details, and tell you that I re...

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Impossible is a "now" problem courage enough faith freedom jesus miracles religion and spirituality trust

It's impossible for a newborn to fly a plane. 

It's impossible for a kindergartener to discover a cure for disease.

It's impossible for a high school junior to run for President.

Impossible is based on the present moment and existing resources. With design, focus, time, and connections -- magnifi...

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Praying on paper creativity faith god jesus motivation peace personal growth relationships religion and spirituality

I started doing something regularly late last year that has dramatically improved the quality of my time in prayer: 

I pray on paper.

This will sound a lot like Julia Cameron's "morning pages" (as described in her book, The Artist's Way) -- and that's actually how it started. 

Morning pages help get th...

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If the Savior stood beside me courage faith jesus miracles peace religion and spirituality trust

I grew up singing a children's song at church that has guided many of my decisions, but it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I found a new, even more powerful way to apply it. Here are the lyrics: 

If the Savior stood beside me
Would I do the things I do?
Would I think of his commandments a

...
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