January 2025 Illuminate Reader. Two massive topics to tackle in one series—Eve and wisdom. What was I thinking? I’m already realizing eight sessions are NOT going to cut it. When we studied Genesis last year, I planned for 12 sessions and ended up with 15. Now, before we’ve even started Women of Wisdom, I can already tell—eight sessions won’t be enough. After digging into the material these past few weeks, we clearly need more time to give these two topics the attention they deserve. So, it...
2 months ago • 3 min read
January 2025 9 Lumens Reader if you’re anything like me and want to know right away, “What’s this email about?”— (I see you 3s, 7s, and 8s) It’s about Tyler Zach’s EnneaSummit at no cost! The focus is on Spiritual Formation, and I’m sharing this because I KNOW it will be SO GOOD. How do I know? Because the lineup features so many of the resources I already use with my clients (like Marilyn Vancil), people I’ve learned from personally (like Pastor Adam Breckenridge, and he’s giving away a free...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Illuminating Scripture for Women to beEncouraged, Equipped, and Engaged Reader I haven’t sent an email to the whole Illuminate community in a long time! The last email was in June letting the group know I’d be ghosting communication to focus on our son’s wedding. It was a lovely, perfect Portland, Oregon, August wedding day. The ceremony was beautiful (as was the bride), and the reception turned into a super fun party—which is exactly what they wanted: to celebrate WELL! So, here’s our family...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Findings, Sharings & Offerings Reader Happy first of the month and Canada Day! Yesterday, I sat down with one of my favorite practices: a monthly reflection from the Full Focus Planner. I spend about 30 minutes on this; I don’t overthink it and just write what comes to mind. I also keep my planner, photos on my phone, and Bible journal nearby to prompt my memory. It's been a very beneficial practice, and I’m always surprised by what surfaces. Over time, I’ve tweaked the questions to help me,...
9 months ago • 1 min read
Illuminating Scripture for Women to beEncouraged, Equipped, and Engaged Friends! I am excited to share that it’s FINALLY ready! After countless hours of editing, learning technology (or at least trying to), and overcoming setbacks, I’ve re-released the study I taught last year, "The Women Around the Cross," as an e-course! Artwork by Holly Pennington Feedback from last year's participants was to make the study available to share with their friends. They had two main requests: make it easy to...
10 months ago • 1 min read
Findings, Sharings & Offerings Reader This may seem like a small thing to share—maybe you haven’t even noticed it—but I recently started signing off my emails “with you.” It’s not a random choice that felt right; it was intentional. Back in January, I was listening to a Carey Nieuwhof podcast (can’t recall the exact one), and his guest talked about how kids don’t want youth pastors just doing stuff “to them” or “for them”; they want someone who’s genuinely “with them.” That will preach. But...
10 months ago • 1 min read
Illuminating Scripture for Women to beEncouraged, Equipped, and Engaged Reader, As you know, I've been working on re-launching the Women Around the Cross series from last year as an e-course delivered via a podcast. I had initially hoped to have it finished by April 1st, then April 30th, and then May 15th. You get the idea—life has a way of getting in the way, and honestly, fears and doubts haven't helped either. The biggest challenge I've faced is working in my little bubble without any...
11 months ago • 1 min read
Illuminating Scripture for Women to beEncouraged, Equipped, and Engaged Hi Reader. I am preparing for tomorrow evening's discussion on Hagar as part of the year-long study of "First Ladies: All the Women in Genesis." Studying her on Mother's Day has added an interesting layer. It's sobering to contemplate the complexity of her journey into motherhood and wonder how it could resonate with all of us women. Motherhood was not a choice she made and yet, there is the gift of a son. This tension...
11 months ago • 1 min read
A self-coaching tool for seasons Can you believe it's been four years since 2020? FOUR YEARS! I could say, 'Where does time go?' but that's cliché. What's been on my mind lately is how the effects of that time are still unfolding. There's this sense that things have shifted but are still changing. It's like the aftermath of a storm, where the landscape is forever altered but now the ecosystem is different too. In a recent Illuminate email, I shared how Easter hit me differently this year....
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
Communication & The Enneagram [FIRSTNAME GOES HERE], one of the many powerful aspects of the Enneagram for understanding ourselves and each other is its ability to delineate what communication means and looks like for each of the Types. For instance, Ones perceive good communication as being correct, while Fours value authenticity in their communication. And while some may view the Enneagram solely as a tool for personal growth, its impact extends deeply into team dynamics as well. For...
about 1 year ago • 1 min read