Reflections and Responses

I am very disappointed in people for the response I'm seeing to the Ebola situation as I scroll through social media feeds. I do not claim to be an expert on infectious diseases or want to get too political, but I do want to share some thoughts. Those who are ill need our prayers - not our snarky comments, memes, or jokes. We often post things on social media that we wouldn't dare say to someone's face, and comments about the Ebola situation are proving this more than ever. Would you say your sarcastic remark about a hazmat suit if you were speaking with a member of the victim's family? Social media somehow causes us all to feel a sense of liberty in speaking, making us exponentially less guarded. This can lead us to share things that are too personal, inappropriate, or in this case, downright cruel. What if YOU were a family member of a victim? Would that alter your thoughts and the tone of any posts you'd be making about Ebola? Honestly try to imagine for a ...

I've been a mom for 6.5 months now and back at work in a part-time capacity for 4 months. (Yes, I'm an inconsistent blogger, I know). It goes without saying that the last 6.5 months have been filled with significant changes for me. I've done a LOT of processing over these months, and I've learned about myself from seeing how I have responded to the transitions in my life and the awesome privilege (and responsibility) of raising a child. A few key things I've learned about myself are how much I crave leadership, how I often look to the wrong places to meet this need, and how scared I am of freedom.  I am with Olivia all day every day, with the exception of the one day each week I go into the office and she is with a babysitter. Being with her is an amazing privilege and I am so thankful that God has orchestrated the details of our lives and jobs so that it's possible! However, it also means that no one else is with me all day, observing my parenting decisions...

Right now, thousands across metro Atlanta are hunkering down, scouring grocery stores, and bracing for a second winter weather storm. Meanwhile, I am a day past due with my sweet Olivia Kate. Also, the amazing team I work with, plus hundreds of Door Holders, are trying to get to Houston, Texas, to gather thousands of students for Passion 2014 Houston. In short, our response to this threat of crippling icy weather is: "Ain't nobody got time for that!" Meteorologists have been warning us about the impending weather for a couple of days, and my anxiety developed slowly and then peaked. I woke up at 3:15am on Monday morning and couldn't fall back asleep until 4:30, fretting my little (okay, not "little" - nothing about me is very "little"right now!) head off trying to figure out how we would get to Northside Hospital if Olivia comes during the ice storm and what I needed to do/buy/think about/plan. I was restless, anxious, and worried. At my 40...