Articles

“I Don’t Like My Job”: 5 Things to Do When Your Job Drains Your Joy — iBelieve
What do we do when we realize that, despite our best efforts to find fulfilling work, we don’t like our job? In this article, I share several actions I found helpful during my season of career distress.


“3 Simple Ways to Spring Clean Your Soul” — iBelieve
Just like the spaces of our homes, the wear and tear of life can cause our souls to become disorganized and even dirty. In this article, I share several ways we can find peace and joy through cleaning up our minds, emotions, and commitments.


“Exploring Who You Are: A Key to Fulfilling God’s Purpose for Your Life” — The Joyful Life Magazine
In this article, I share what it really means to live with purpose, plus six things you can do to develop a better understanding of who God created you to be.


“Distant or Delighted? Learning to See Jesus With a Smile” — The Joyful Life Magazine, Issue 12, Fall 2021 (print)
How God helped me learn to experience Him as the joyful, happy Father He is.


“7 Tips to Help You Achieve Goals Like a Pro” — The Joyful Life Magazine
It seems that no matter how good our intentions, even our most worthy goals are often met with resistance. Yet the fact remains: If God has set a goal in our hearts, it has value and is worth fighting for.


“5 Questions to Help You Decide if the Desires of Your Heart Are From God” — The Joyful Life Magazine
Our dreams and desires are often signals God uses to lead us into His purposes and callings for our lives, but not everything we want is from God. So how can we tell when a desire is truly from Him?


“Comparison Is the Thief of Joy: Is It Also Robbing You of Your Calling?” — The Joyful Life Magazine
God wants to partner with us to accomplish more than we can ask or imagine, but Satan knows that if he can get us to compare what we have to what others have, he can trick us into devaluing our own gifts—and he knows that if we don’t recognize the value of our gifts, we won’t use them.


“Surprised by the Impact of a Simple Song” — The Love Offering Blog Series
God often speaks to us in a “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12 NKJV), and His small voice sometimes asks us to do small things—things that are so small, we’re tempted to disregard them. But God knows that what seems insignificant to us can mean the world to someone else.


“3 Ways Mary Inspires Us To Say Yes To God” — Her View From Home
How Mary’s willingness to develop intimacy with God, believe His promise, and surrender to His plans inspires me to say no to fear and yes to God.


“Wondering What God Is Calling You To Do? How Your God-given Desires Can Be A Clue” — The Joyful Life Magazine
We’re often suspicious of our desires, but the Bible reveals that they are often one of the clues God uses to reveal what He’s calling us to do.


“Our Creator’s Birth” — The Joyful Life Magazine, Issue 9, Winter 2020 (print)
Celebrating the wonder and awe of Jesus, our Incarnate Creator.


“From Panicked To Peaceful: Nine Steps That Transformed My Mornings” — The Joyful Life Magazine
Each new day is an opportunity to walk in our God-given purpose. How we spend our mornings matters because our mornings set the stage for the remainder of the day.


“Hope For A Heart Thirsty For Love” — The Joyful Life Magazine
What an ancient story teaches us about finding the love we long for.


“Trapped By A Difficult Problem” — Devotable
No matter how impossible your situation seems, God can make a way where there seems to be no way.


“The Heavens Declare The Glory Of God—And So Do You” — The Joyful Life Magazine
God has woven song into all of creation—including into your very DNA!


“Dare To Dream Small” — (in)courage
God is really big. Does that mean our dreams or needs have to be really big to get His attention?


“Holding On To Hope In The Midst Of Disappointed Dreams” — The Joyful Life Magazine
Encouragement for when the future doesn’t look so bright and beautiful.


“Embracing Cozy, Snow Flake Upon Snow Flake” — Bella Grace, Issue 22 (print)
Learning to love the beautiful, cozy aspects of living in my hometown.


“It’s Okay To Cry: Cultivating Compassion For Our Sorrowing Hearts” — The Joyful Life Magazine, Issue 4, Fall 2019 (print)
Our culture often pressures us to push aside our tears, but the Bible teaches us a different way.


“You May Be Qualified, But Are You Called?” — The Joyful Life Magazine
If we are able to do something good, does that automatically mean we should?


“A Surpsise Visitor” — Creation Illustrated (print)
How God showed His care and attention to me through an encounter with a little critter.


“Planted By Water: Going Deeper In A Dry Season” — The Joyful Life Magazine
Learning to draw strength from God in hard seasons.


“Holding On To Hope In 2019” — Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
God hears our prayers—even those we’ve long stopped praying.


“Summer In Fairbanks Is A Slice Of Heaven” — Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Celebrating the joy and wonder of 24 hours of Alaska summer daylight—and what it reveals about what we have to look forward to in eternity. (If you’re not a News-Miner subscriber, you can read this article here.)


“Thawing Our Hearts, Brightening Our Arctic World” — Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Jesus as the light takes on a whole new meaning in the midst of dark, subarctic winters.


“Learning To Like Winter In The Interior”— Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
How I made peace with where I’m planted.


“Waiting For A Package” — Christian Devotions
Trusting God’s promises even when they seem slow in coming.

“The Only Opinion That Matters” — Christian Devotions
Letting go of other people’s opinions and trusting God for guidance.


"Fireweed: Finding Life In Loss." — Alaska Women Speak. Fall 2015. 25. (print)
Finding beauty in the midst of pain.

Contributor

Everyday Joy: Volume One

I contributed five devotions to this lovely devotional by The Joyful Life.

Academic/Other

The Madness of Mary Lincoln


Research Summary: Understanding and Assisting Couples Affected by an Eating Disorder (With Sue Renes)


Understanding and Assisting Couples Affected by an Eating Disorder (With Sue Renes, Allan Morotti, & Anthony Strange).