The graduation gowns are steamed. Senior prom is now a memory. Classes are in their closing phase of exams and movies, and I am quite literally sitting on the edge of watching two more of my daughters graduate from high school.

They are about to be launched into the world in a way they have never experienced, and this emotional and mental marathon, this moment, has reminded me of something.

1. This was always the plan.

I have been building toward this, praying over this, and preparing her fo...

Someone once asked me how many times I pray for my children in a week.

At first, the practical side of my brain tried to count.

But I quickly realized…

That’s not something you can measure.

Because for me, it’s not a number.

It’s a posture.

I am always praying for my girls.

In my own struggles I hope they avoid.
In the triumphs I cheer them through.
In the challenges I sit beside them in—heart racing, hands and legs fidgeting like a one-person band.
Even in the “intense ...

It’s so hard, isn’t it?

If we’re honest, this might be one of the hardest parts of loving and leading her well.

Because you know this is true:

Some of the most impactful lessons in your life came through struggle.

But that doesn’t make it any easier to watch your daughter walk through her own.

As a mom, mentor, and coach, I walk through struggles with young women every day—often multiple times a day.

And if I’m honest…

I want to rescue them.

Every time.

But th...

Discipline is one of the most constant forms of leadership in your daughter’s life.

And one of the easiest to get wrong.

It isn’t about punishment, shame, blame or guilt.  Discipline, at its core, is about teaching and training for life.  If you are a mom or mentor of a teen girl, then you are in that training arena right now. 

School is not her only learning space.  In fact, her largest learning space is in your kitchen, your car and in your living room.  When was the last time you ...

Somewhere scattered in the spring of 2018 our family visited the Grand Canyon.  While the views were breathtaking and the experience was priceless, our unexperienced selves were not prepared for 3 important lessons we were about to learn that day.

1. The temperature drastically changes going up to the canyon ridge. We were all comfortable in the dry Arizona heat, but quickly turned ice cold when we stepped out of the van. By the time we left, all six of us were outfitted with brand new Grand Can
...

 She is coming at you, erratically throwing every behavior and emotion bomb she has in her arsenal.

Sadness.
Anger.
Frustration.
Passive aggressiveness.
Maybe even a little deceit.

It looks like your daughter, but in the moment you’re not entirely sure.

Then you feel it.

That rush inside of you as your own army of frustration, sadness and anger begins to rise up and prepare for battle — and you still don’t even know why this is happening.

What do you do?

Do you let emotio...

No one applauds the mom who shows up for the 109th practice.

No one hands you a trophy for sitting in the carpool line again.

But heaven sees it.

Here is the truth: the most powerful leadership in a young woman’s life often happens behind closed doors.  It is unseen, unpaid, unrecognized work that is eternally significant.

I am starting a new series called The Leadership No One Applauds because it is easy to feel like your efforts are meaningless when you don’t see the fruits of your l...

If you have a daughter, or are around youth in ANY capacity, it is impossible to miss the conversations about being left on “read”. 

What does this mean?

It means that your daughter sent a text message and the someone on the other side read it, but did NOT respond.  (note… on any iphone you don’t even have to be on “read”, you can just be on “delivered” and the same cascade of emotions can occur because on those phones you are able to “see” a message without technically opening it)

W...

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it". – Proverbs 4:23

How do you guard your heart? 

The same way you practice love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness and faithfulness…. through the ninth and final piece of the fruit, self-control.

Self-control, or often referred to as self-discipline, is the cornerstone of it all.  This is about what you choose.

Choose Christ.

Choose to love.

Choose to seek and hold joy.

Choose peace.

Choo...

Years ago, I was a new believer sitting in the corner nook of a church in Indiana, sorting through the newness of it all.  The vocabulary, stories, truth… the scales were falling from my eyes so fast that my vision seemed blurry.  Then I overheard something from a neighboring conversation that was stated calmly, but abruptly, and I was immediately sobered from my spiritual stupor.

“Even demons believe in Jesus”. 

What?  That didn’t seem right.  How could something so good be believed by ...