Author: Kate Franken The words “identity crisis” generally evoke images of a pimple faced teenager and a middle aged silver-haired man that seeks comfort in adultery and a new red sports car. This worldly association leads one to believe that identity crisis is largely confined to two occurrences, once in adolescence and then again somewhere…
Tag: Faith
Hope on Distant Shores
Author: Rachel Olson Just over a year ago, a lifelong dream came true. I was accepted to join Mercy Ships, an organization that brings free surgical care to some of the poorest countries of Africa. I quit my job, packed my bags, and moved to Madagascar, where I have spent the past eight and a…
Hope for Mom
The crowd was a-buzz. Well-wishers, families settling into their seats, and most better dressed than a normal week. I knew the moment was coming. The opening song rang through the sanctuary, and I felt a dread sweep through me. I had experienced it before, each year it had taken on new and different dimensions. It…
Hope for Gardening
I sat, kneeled, and squatted until my muscles ached and burned from fatigue. My nails, even when covered with gloves, became encrusted with earth. The sun beat on my back. Sweat trickled down my neck. I, the greenthumb’s daughter, was gardening for the second weekend in a row. Let’s be real: I never voluntarily garden….
Hope After the Psych Ward
Author: Sarah L. Sanderson A few hours after my discharge from the psychiatric ward of our local hospital, I walked over to my daughter’s elementary school to pick her up from first grade. It was the end of October, and the trees bore fewer leaves than when I’d last seen them, four days before. As…
Hope for When it’s Go Time
Author: Chara Donahue I was with my mom the first time I felt the thrill of a roller coaster, and last summer I stood in line for the same coaster, twenty-something years later with my own daughter. She waited nervously, boarded, and then…AND THEN… she jumped out of her seat and practically cemented herself onto…
When the To-Do List is Empty
Waiting. It just DOES NOT have the same connotation as the word “anticipation.” With the latter, it seems like a positive thing, but waiting? It just drags on and on. I hate it. I hate waiting. I have yet to hear someone say, “Oh, how I love waiting!”, so I am confident I’m not alone….
When Faith Feels Like Failure
Author: Chara Donahue My husband and I took a step of faith this year by walking away from a place we loved. We knew we were stepping onto the path God had laid before us, but it felt horrible. We have peace that it was the right decision along with expectant hope for what is…
Waitlisted
Author: Sarah Dohman God has called me to care for others, specifically through a career in nursing. The call of loving people and taking care of the sick came early. In elementary school, I drew a picture explaining why I should be the President of the United States. I wrote these sentences on it. “Sarah…
Hope at the Strip Club
Author: Amy Wallace I was asked to write this months ago but couldn’t figure out what to share, or even where to start. Hope in strip clubs? Come on, this is the enemies play ground. For the last 5 years, I have been involved with the ministry POLE Gems. We venture into strip clubs and…
Anchored Voices 