When Christmas Hurts

As we stand on the doorstep of Advent, many of us are holding heavy things - and yet - it's supposed to be THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR. Friend and writer, Abby Ball, steps into the cognitive dissonance that is the Christmas season for a raw and real conversation that I'm still mulling … Continue reading When Christmas Hurts

Why are you in the Queue?

Hi, friends! It's been a minute! Summer was full around here with family, fun, and-after two years of dodging it, (not fun) Covid-19. I also got to try my hand at some devotional writing for a project releasing later next year. But I am back at The Mudroom, now, with a bit of blatant (Maybe … Continue reading Why are you in the Queue?

That Two-Week Friendship? It Matters!

Well hello, friends! Did you know that I made the second most important decision of my life on a hike exactly 22 years ago - thousands of miles from home - because a 16-year-old friend dared to ask me about beer bellies and baldness? (More on that if you click here.) I'm breaking from my … Continue reading That Two-Week Friendship? It Matters!

The Unlived Life

I'll admit that I go there. I know you do too. "In the crosshairs of the life we expect and the life we have" we steal away to the unlived life. I thought Jesus was exempt from this pull, until I found him in a garden that led to the cross. Friends, we are NOT … Continue reading The Unlived Life

Under this Same Sun

I know. It's all too much. My Ukrainian grandmother, a survivor of unimaginable oppression, has words for Solomon today. Yeah, there's nothing new under the sun. But there IS a Comforter who hears our cries for help . . . Lean in for the God who's there, even as this "world spins madly on" (The … Continue reading Under this Same Sun

What Are You Afraid of?

It's safe to say that after dipping my toes into the podcasting waters, I am now officially in over my head! I promise I'll get back to the written word some day - but for now I want to share a conversation I had with my friend Catherine McNiel; one in which she tips fear … Continue reading What Are You Afraid of?