As a change of pace this week, you get to watch a video instead of reading a blog post! Pastor Nathan Breithaupt of The Refuge Church in Walla Walla, Washington interviewed me last month on "Parenting during a Pandemic." Click this link to view the video on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com It's 35 minutes long, so check out a few points of interest at these minute marks: 4:25 – A little about my story and how God’s plans for us and our families are bigger than our little dreams. 8:00  – Who is responsible for your child’s intellectual formation –their teachers, or Continue Reading

Five-year-old Jamé was excited.  This was going to be her first show-and-tell.  Although not outgoing by nature, she looked forward to showing off her indigenous heritage to her classmates. On the big day, Jamé proudly put on the pink jingle dress her aunt had made for her. She wore moccasins and put a feather in her braided hair. To show the other children what powwow music sounded like, Jamé brought a little CD player. Too shy to dance, she simply played the music and then explained to her classmates what she understood about Native American traditions. This should have been a Continue Reading

With my part-time teaching job, Christmas break should have been the perfect time for me to set some goals for 2019. That didn’t happen. I’ve done this goal-setting thing for the last several years—taking a look at various categories (physical, spiritual, financial and so on)—and forecasting what I’d like to achieve or improve in different areas. Goal-setting is not a bad thing. It can help with focus and intentionality. That said, life has a way of turning our best-laid plans upside-down, sometimes in subtle but powerful ways. So this New Year, I’m in that foggy, food-hangover, Continue Reading

It occupied her thoughts from morning until night. She wanted it so bad she could taste it. She wanted financial independence. This young mother of small children began working hard at building a business.  She juggled the demands of family life. She sacrificed sleep. She spent every spare moment on her dream. Two years later, it became a reality. Her business was not only up and running –it was wildly successful. This woman had followed the advice of a well-known entrepreneurial blogger. Regarding her success, he remarked, “I love that kind of hustle.” That kind of story Continue Reading