Illuminating Scripture for Women to beEncouraged, Equipped, and Engaged Friends! I am excited to share that it’s FINALLY ready! After countless hours of editing, learning technology (or at least trying to), and overcoming setbacks, I’ve re-released the study I taught last year, "The Women Around the Cross," as an e-course! Artwork by Holly Pennington Feedback from last year's participants was to make the study available to share with their friends. They had two main requests: make it easy to...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Findings, Sharings & Offerings Reader This may seem like a small thing to share—maybe you haven’t even noticed it—but I recently started signing off my emails “with you.” It’s not a random choice that felt right; it was intentional. Back in January, I was listening to a Carey Nieuwhof podcast (can’t recall the exact one), and his guest talked about how kids don’t want youth pastors just doing stuff “to them” or “for them”; they want someone who’s genuinely “with them.” That will preach. But...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Illuminating Scripture for Women to beEncouraged, Equipped, and Engaged Reader, As you know, I've been working on re-launching the Women Around the Cross series from last year as an e-course delivered via a podcast. I had initially hoped to have it finished by April 1st, then April 30th, and then May 15th. You get the idea—life has a way of getting in the way, and honestly, fears and doubts haven't helped either. The biggest challenge I've faced is working in my little bubble without any...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Illuminating Scripture for Women to beEncouraged, Equipped, and Engaged Hi Reader. I am preparing for tomorrow evening's discussion on Hagar as part of the year-long study of "First Ladies: All the Women in Genesis." Studying her on Mother's Day has added an interesting layer. It's sobering to contemplate the complexity of her journey into motherhood and wonder how it could resonate with all of us women. Motherhood was not a choice she made and yet, there is the gift of a son. This tension...
5 months ago • 1 min read
A self-coaching tool for seasons Can you believe it's been four years since 2020? FOUR YEARS! I could say, 'Where does time go?' but that's cliché. What's been on my mind lately is how the effects of that time are still unfolding. There's this sense that things have shifted but are still changing. It's like the aftermath of a storm, where the landscape is forever altered but now the ecosystem is different too. In a recent Illuminate email, I shared how Easter hit me differently this year....
7 months ago • 2 min read
Communication & The Enneagram [FIRSTNAME GOES HERE], one of the many powerful aspects of the Enneagram for understanding ourselves and each other is its ability to delineate what communication means and looks like for each of the Types. For instance, Ones perceive good communication as being correct, while Fours value authenticity in their communication. And while some may view the Enneagram solely as a tool for personal growth, its impact extends deeply into team dynamics as well. For...
8 months ago • 1 min read
Illuminating Scripture for Women to beEncouraged, Equipped, and Engaged Reader, After our first session on understanding Genesis as literature, one participant shared her thoughts with me. She expressed how eye-opening it was to explore Genesis from a literary perspective. It allowed her to see the text in a whole new light, appreciating its narrative and symbolism more deeply. That's why I'm writing to you today—I would hate for you to miss it! If the commitment factor is holding you back, I...
9 months ago • 2 min read
Illuminating Scripture for Women to beEncouraged, Equipped, and Engaged Reader, One of the things I found so incredible studying the Woman at the Well last year; was how often we ended up in the Old Testament. It is so amazing to see the entire Bible connect in ways I hadn't seen before. It brought so much depth to not only understanding the relationship between Jesus and the Woman at the Well, but also to the WHOLE BIBLE. I have been asked a few times, "Why do you only do studies on women in...
9 months ago • 2 min read
Illuminating Scripture for Women to beEncouraged, Equipped, and Engaged Reader, I thought about writing an email about how grateful I am for you all in 2023 and how much I am looking forward to studying with you in 2024. But I just DON'T have the energy to write anything like that today. I'm guessing I'm not alone. As a woman, I know you too played a big part in Thanksgiving, Christmas, and/or New Year's. It may have been wonderful. It may have drained you dry. It may have done both at the...
10 months ago • 2 min read