Journal
Motherhood, Marriage & Ministry.
Honest reflections rooted in Scripture and real life — the parts of motherhood, marriage, and ministry that do not usually make it onto a highlight reel.
The Morning I Almost Said No
A phone call, a full calendar, and every reasonable excuse to say no. This is the story of the morning I said yes to something I never asked for.
What Women’s Ministry Actually Is (And Isn’t)
When people hear "women’s ministry," they picture a brunch and a banner. After several years leading ours at CBA Orlando, I think the real definition is much smaller and much harder.
Saying Yes Before You Feel Ready
I used to think readiness came before calling. Jeremiah taught me it usually works the other way around.
The Woman Who Showed Up With a Casserole
I do not remember what she said when she knocked on our door that week. I only remember that she came, and that it was enough.
Hospitality Is Not a Clean House
For years I thought I could not host anyone until my house looked a certain way. I was wrong about what hospitality actually costs.
Our Table Is Always a Little Too Full
Ask anyone who has eaten at our table and they will tell you: there is always room for one more. That is not an accident.
The Latch That Would Not Cooperate
People assume that because I am a lactation consultant now, breastfeeding must have come easily to me. It did not. Not even close.
Why I Became an IBCLC
The certification took years of study. The calling behind it started on a bathroom floor at 3 a.m. with my first baby.
To the Mother Crying in the Nursery at 3 A.M.
If you are reading this on your phone with one hand while the other holds a baby who will not settle, this letter is for you.
The Tiredness No One Warns You About
There is a tiredness that has nothing to do with hours of sleep. Early motherhood introduced me to it, and only one thing has ever touched it.
What I Did Not Know on Our Wedding Day
I promised to love Daniel in sickness and health. I had no idea yet what most of the sickness and most of the health would actually look like.
The Year We Almost Stopped Talking
There was a year when Daniel and I were technically living in the same house and barely talking to each other. This is what pulled us back.
Praying for My Husband Instead of At Him
For a season I tried to fix things in my husband through pointed comments. Prayer did more in a month than my comments did in a year.
The Faith I Inherited and the Faith I Chose
I grew up going to church every week. It took me until my twenties to understand the difference between inherited faith and chosen faith.
What I Want My Children to Inherit
Not a business, not a bank account. The thing I most want my children to inherit from us cannot be written into a will.
Raising Children in Two Languages and One Faith
Our kitchen table has always had two languages running through it. It turns out that has never once diluted our faith — it has only widened it.
The First Time I Spoke in Front of a Room
My hands shook so badly I had to set my notes down on the podium. Here is what I learned from the worst five minutes before any talk I have given.
Why I Tell the Unflattering Parts of My Story
It would be easier to only tell the parts of my story that make me look put-together. I have stopped doing that on purpose.
Grief That Arrives Without Warning
Some seasons arrive with no warning at all. This is what I have been holding onto while walking through one of them with my family.
What I Have Learned About Comforting Others
I used to think comforting someone meant having the right words. Sitting with grieving friends has taught me something much simpler.
Comparison Is a Thief I Invited In
I did not notice comparison stealing my joy in one dramatic moment. It happened one scroll at a time, until I finally noticed the damage.
The Year I Took a Break From Instagram
I built a following through Desafío Mamá on Instagram. And then, for six months, I disappeared from it completely.
The Question I Ask Before I Say Yes Now
I used to say yes to almost every good opportunity that came my way. One question changed how I filter invitations now.
A Quiet Morning With Coffee and a Bible
Before the children wake, before the phone lights up, there is a small window that has become the most important part of my day.
What My Daughter Taught Me About Trust
She jumped into the pool without hesitation, certain I would catch her. I have not stopped thinking about that certainty since.
The Ministry of Remembering Birthdays
Nobody puts "remembers birthdays" on a ministry resume. It might be one of the most powerful things I do all year.
Learning to Receive Help, Not Just Give It
I have always found it easier to show up for someone else than to let someone show up for me. That imbalance finally caught up with me.
The Small Group That Almost Fell Apart
A misunderstanding between two women in our Bible study nearly split the whole group. Here is what held it together.
Why We Still Go on Dates After All These Years
Between his job sites and my ministry calendar, a standing date night sounds like a luxury we cannot afford. We have decided we cannot afford to skip it.
The Verse I Return to When I Am Overwhelmed
When my to-do list outnumbers my hours, there is one verse I have prayed so many times it is written on the inside of my mind.
What I Tell New Mothers in Our Church
I have said some version of the same handful of sentences to dozens of new mothers in our church now. Here they are, gathered in one place.
The Discipline of a Planned Week
I used to let whoever asked loudest win my calendar. A simple weekly planning habit changed that, and it started with a verse about planning.
Books That Shaped My Faith
People often ask what I am reading. Here are the handful of books that have genuinely reshaped how I follow God.
The Retreat That Almost Did Not Happen
Two weeks before our women’s retreat, our venue fell through and half our volunteers dropped out. This is the story of what happened next.
What Nursing Taught Me About Patience
Nothing in my adult life has tested my patience quite like sitting still for forty-five minutes, several times a day, with a nursing infant.
The Friend Who Tells Me the Truth
Most of my friends are encouraging. I have exactly one who will tell me when I am wrong, and I need her more than the rest combined.
Why I Do Not Hide My Struggles With Anxiety
Ministry leaders are not supposed to still struggle with anxiety, or so the unspoken rule goes. I have decided not to follow that rule.
The Year Our Business Almost Failed
There was a year we genuinely did not know if Daniel’s business would survive. This is what carried our family through it.
Weaning and the Grief Nobody Mentions
Everyone prepared me for the challenges of starting to nurse. No one warned me how much grief could come with finally stopping.
The Sunday I Almost Did Not Go to Church
There was a season when going to church felt like the last thing I had energy for. Here is what got me through the doors anyway.
Teaching My Son to Pray Out Loud
His first prayers out loud were three words long and slightly mumbled. I would not trade them for the most eloquent prayer I have ever heard.
The Ministry of Showing Up Tired
There is a difference between resting because you need to and skipping ministry because you are avoiding the effort. I have had to learn that difference the hard way.
What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Marriage
The premarital counseling covered communication and conflict. It did not cover the specific, unglamorous truths I actually needed.
The Mothers I Have Mentored (and What They Taught Me)
I am supposed to be the one teaching. Somewhere along the way, the younger mothers I mentor started teaching me just as much.
Why I Say No to Most Speaking Invitations
I receive more invitations to speak than I could ever accept. Here is how I decide which handful actually get a yes.
The Conversation That Changed How I Parent
An older woman in our church said one sentence to me about parenting that I have never forgotten and never stopped applying.
My Own Calling, Not Just His Wife
I am Daniel’s wife, and I am also my own person with my own calling. It took me time to hold both without losing either.
The Morning Routine That Actually Works for Us
Our mornings are not Pinterest-worthy. They are, however, functional, and functional was the actual goal all along.
What I Learned From a Woman Who Could Not Nurse
For all my training, some mothers cannot nurse no matter what we try. One client in particular taught me what to say when the plan does not work.
The Habit of Writing Down Answered Prayers
When I cannot see God working in a hard season, I open a notebook that proves He always has been.
How Daniel and I Handle Disagreements Now
We do not avoid disagreements anymore. We just fight fair, on purpose, using a few simple rules we agreed on outside the heat of an argument.
The Year I Learned to Say "I Don’t Know"
Women started asking me questions I genuinely did not have answers for. It took me a year to become comfortable saying so.
What Our Family Does for Advent
Our Advent traditions are simple, imperfect, and repeated every year anyway — because repetition is exactly the point.
The Retreat Topic Women Ask for Most
Of every topic I offer for retreats and events, one gets requested more than the rest combined. It says something about where women are right now.
A Short List of Resources I Actually Recommend
I get asked for recommendations often enough that I finally wrote them all down in one honest, unsponsored list.
The Day I Stopped Apologizing for Resting
I used to apologize, almost reflexively, whenever I admitted I had rested. I do not do that anymore, and here is what changed.