Divinely Detoured

Saudade is indeed, absence with a presence. But it is also absence with a pull, absence for a purpose. This God-shaped space in our hearts represents the most important saudade we must deal with in this life.

Through every season of life, God never leaves us. Even though at times, He seems difficult to find. He never leaves the scene we're living.

Carrying a cross makes no rational sense until we realize we are called to help but not to save, and that miracles can happen on the way.

When God's goodness is difficult to remember, we must avoid a dangerous bias called recency syndrome and lean on the God of the long-term.

Five little things I’ve learned about hope since 2020, just in case hope seems hard in 2026. Spoiler: Hope dies last.

To be remembered, we must give up making ourselves irreplaceable, we must focus on "becoming" instead of "completing, "and get comfortable leaving a thread hanging.

A ministry of love can arise from our worst days and create a transient beauty that satisfies even our deepest hunger.

A detour can take us into exile but there are unexpected gifts in that foreign land.

Mourning the 90th birthday party we never had, I realize I grew up a rich girl because of my dad.

We like faith to show up in big ways: in a fiery furnace, a lion’s den, an empty tomb. We even use the term  “leap of faith”  to mean  a big move, something bold, fast, or at least forward. But what if the real show of faith is staying?

When change is slow, we can take comfort knowing that time builds relationships, shapes us, and creates the exceptional.

When deep waters feel like a threat, know that God may be calling you into a more intimate relationship because deep is where hope lives.

The mom I meant to be is one who does not avoid questions but, realizing that God deals in questions, does avoid knowingness.

Getting unstuck involves a realization of getting stuck, needing a hand, and reaching out, and ultimately wanting more than a fix.

When we give God all our broken pieces we start to go deeper with Him. And when we do, He takes our jagged storyline and creates a sparkling wholeness.

The key to discovering hope after dreams are cut down is recognizing unlikely shelter, and embracing a different life after the storm.

When you or someone you love is on the ongoing prayer list, it helps to focus on a different kind of blessing.

To navigate a season of grief and gratitude, we must realize that often grief is mixed with gratitude, and that gratitude needs grief.

When wrestling with gratitude, it helps to remember the giving part: that gratitude costs us, but also gives an unlikely blessing.

When words are hard to come by, the Spirit steps in, reminding us the Who is what matters, finding faith hidden inside the words.

When facing a season of trial, know the significance of 40 and, perhaps most importantly, anticipate the other side of 40.

When storms leave you feeling empty, embrace a new emotion and realize that empty precedes the miracle. Then watch what God can do with empty.

To be still requires a slowness, a surrender, and a knowing that will help carry us through periods of even still.

Some mountains remain, some mountains return, but when we find a way through, the hardest part of the mountain really has moved.

Some temporary blessings are just for today, and even though the blessing doesn't stay, the source of the blessing matters most.

When we're wrestling with God, we are actually protecting our faith and forming a stronger bond with the Father.

When you are waiting in the middle of an unfinished story, the in-between liminal space is preparing you for growth, maturity, and hope.

Even when you're steeped in suffering, you can go deeper than happiness by finding something to hold onto, by finding God in your pain.

When it seems God check-swings before your happy ending, we must rely on a bigger hope because He check-swings death, too.

Understanding God's favor involves accepting the sacrifice and trusting His grace in your surprising, difficult role ahead.

Going from dry thankful words to true grateful living requires you to act better than you feel, form habits, and extend grace.

God often detours us in life to make a way when there is no way. We want a rational reason but all we need is a promising purpose.

When God's timing seems off, we can rest knowing that He exists above time. Time is God's gift to us, and history tells us we can trust the speed of God.

The confusing yes and no of God can be better understood by realigning our priorities and looking at the bigger picture.

When it feels like God has turned His back on you, perhaps He's already been here and the protection is already in place.

It seems so many of us are in need of a rescue. But we have to be vulnerable to be rescued, and God has modeled it for us.

There's a subtle, significant difference between holding on and being held. Faith is recognizing God's hold and seeing it as the best option.

Hesitating in belief is a good thing. When we do, we weigh our options, we solidify our choice, we strengthen our faith.

When loss creates a hole in our lives and in our hearts, we can find purpose not by trying to fill the hole, but by recognizing what remains.

The voyage of life isn't easy, but God is present in every season of our lives, even those where He's hard to find.

If you're having an unusual holiday, one help to survive an untraditional Christmas is by scouting and savoring the unexpected memory moments.

The difference between thankfulness and gratitude might surprise you, and it might help move your hurting heart forward.

Even when the near worst-case scenario happens, we are safe trusting God with the unknown. It only draws us closer into His arms.

Any type of loss can give us a gradual, clearer perspective. With intention, we can learn to see small, important things more clearly.

When it feels like you've lost home or lost your people who made home, God may be preparing you for a much more permanent one.

When a God-given, worthy dream dies, something more important can tether us to the Father and highlight His provision and grace.

We will always be walking through difficult deserts this side of Eternity. But believers never trod there without Him. 

In recognition of difficult Mother's Days, the gift of prayers for mothers, words to borrow in prayer when words are hard to find.

The reluctance to let go (and give lavishly) may not be about the things. To spend and not to waste, we must examine our heart.

Helicopter Parenting robs ourselves and our children of chances to cling to the only One who can really rescue any of us.