Ever since I was young, adoption was something that grabbed my attention. I did not always know if I would personally be able to adopt a child or not, but I knew that caring for children in need of a family was necessary. Years later, when my husband and I started discussing adding children to our family, adoption for me was at the top of the list. We considered adopting a child before having children biologically. Then, to ou...

How do I know if I’m called to adopt?

This is a question I frequently get asked. We know that the Bible calls every single one of us to care for orphans.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” James 1:27

The Bible doesn’t say that all of us should adopt. It simply says that we need to take care of orphans. Orphan care can happen through child spons...

Ever since Made for More launched into the world, I have had so many mountaintop moments. 

Happy tears as someone shares about the impact this book has had on their life. A teenager says, “I want to write a book someday, too.” Moments where I step back and stand in awe of God’s work in my own life through this whole process. 

These are mountaintop moments.

Do you want to know a secret?

Long before I experienced all of these mounta...

Your time is precious. Any barrier, no matter how large or small, standing between you and your quiet time with God may completely derail your plans.

Here are four practical ways to cut down barriers to quiet time that I've been implementing in my own life.

1. Put all of your stuff in one bag.

Storing all of your stuff in one place is incredibly helpful. I have a shoulder bag that I use, or a backpack would work great, too. This...

Eek! Sharing my first book cover with you feels like an amazing dream coming true. Is this real life?????

From the moment I started dreaming about writing Made for More, I was expectant for all that God would do in me and others through it. And, oh, has He shown up.

The first day I sat down to write I had no plan. I didn’t have a blog. I didn’t have an e-mail list. I had nothing but a calling and a small group of family and fri...

Last week, I vacuumed my house three times.

THREE TIMES!

All of the neat freaks may not think this is a big deal but I prefer a “well lived in” home. I lean more towards once a week vacuuming, unless we have popcorn, of course.

I had my reasons for my sudden desire to vacuum.

I vacuumed because I was alone in my house every single day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. while all of my children under my roof were at school. I vacuumed bec...

You’re always at the forefront of my mind.

Especially on birthdays or anytime something exciting happens in Brielle’s life.

Tomorrow she starts Kindergarten. She genuinely loves learning and playing with friends so she is going to LOVE school.

Tonight though, I thought of you and cried as I remembered that you are missing her first day of Kindergarten. There will always be so many things I wish you were here for. I know it’s craz...

It’s funny how quickly we forget.

We forget the morning sickness after we have the baby.

We forget the resume building after landing that dream job.

We forget the exhausting house search once we’re all moved in.

We forget the months and months and months of waiting after our child’s adoption is finalized.

Forgetting can be a reward after a hard-fought wait, but lately, I’ve been trying to remember. I am craving remembrance and conc...

There is hope and encouragement when life seems unbearably loud yet you feel that pull in your heart and you aren’t sure if you should go for it or not. When the world seems full, there’s always space for your calling. There are without a doubt people already doing a version of the thing you are called to do, but the world needs YOU. No one has the community that you have. No one has the perspectives that you have. No one ha...

“Part of the fear of dropping perfectionism is that it forces us to choose what we are called to go all in on and what we need to let go.” –Made for More

My oldest daughter, Bailey, asks for my opinion on decisions she makes all of the time. She’s scared to make the wrong decision. Really, she just wants to make the best, most perfect, decision.

We were at Claire’s the other day. She had received a gift card for her birthday and...