Wonderfully weird . . . not many of us would put those two words together. However, Laurie Wallin—certified life coach, speaker, teacher, and gifted author—reveals that God has in place a master plan for our lives that is, indeed, weird and wonderful. Most often, we get stuck in the frustrations of being different—or in the […]
Continue readingMore TagAuthor: Colleen Swindoll Thompson
May It Be as You Have Said
They are written in every baby book and shared with close friends. Those never-forgotten first words. In my children’s (unfinished) baby books, I too recorded their first words. Each child’s were distinct and, in reflection, true to their unique personalities. Austin’s first word was mommy. Jon’s first words, after waiting three years for him to […]
But . . . Why?
One of the first questions my children asked was, “Why?” It came at unwanted bedtimes, unexpected mealtimes, undesired moments of discipline, and unforgettable experiences of sacrifice and forgiveness. A wonderful innocence surrounds the question of “Why?” I don’t think we ever outgrow that basic question . . . at least, we don’t until we settle […]
What Would You Say with Only 18 Minutes?
If you had 18 minutes to give the talk of your life, what would you say? I discovered the Web site TED not long ago; I’m addicted. “TED—Ideas Worth Spreading” stands for Technology, Education, Design. One of the fundamental principles of TED Talks is that a speaker has 18 minutes to express his or her […]
The Playground: Five Truths to Remember
The brightly colored church playground equipment stood stable and strong against the backdrop of the setting sun. I had just dropped off my son Jon at “Fun Zone,” our church’s monthly respite program for families with special needs. It’s four enormous hours of fun for the kids—four extraordinary hours of renewal for caregivers. I slowly […]
Darkness in a Theater
by Emily Colson This is a guest post by my friend, Emily Colson. After reading the post on her blog, I asked her if we could also post it here. —Colleen We came to see a movie. But I never imagined that we would become the entertainment. Patty and I found our pre-assigned seats and […]
How to Find Light at the End of Your Tunnel
I left the surgery center and sat silently in my car. I wondered if anyone else wanted the world to slow down for just a little while . . . if anyone else wanted to receive some patience and peace—not for long but long enough to sigh or maybe cry; and after the tears to […]
Walking on Thin Ice
A cold front moved through the Midwest not long ago, and it felt like the beginning of a new ice age. The weather reporters warned that an ice storm was approaching, but we all know the news thrives on drama. When I woke up, it was so cold I started looking for Santa. What appeared […]
Making Prayer Simple
It was a typical morning drive to school. My son Jon and I were singing loudly like professionals but with the windows up. In mid-song Jon said, “Mom, look, I see the lights!” Sure enough, about half a mile ahead emergency lights were swirling. Since 2010 when I was in a near-fatal car accident, my […]
What You Need to Make It Home
I had a full-on cry last Friday morning at 11:45. In fact, I sounded like I needed a sinus flush after 15 minutes of bawling. While finishing a fantastic book about hope and repairing our broken lives . . . like patchwork . . . the author spoke of her friend whose disabled son had […]
The Gift of Grace
No one expected him to succeed. He was made fun of in school because of a horrible stuttering problem. His older brother and sister were brilliant; most often he felt like a shadow child rather than a sibling. Though extremely talented, the young shadow boy struggled to speak even one sentence clearly, causing him to […]
God-Worthy
One week before we celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ, I had lunch with my two older children, now ages 19 and 21. We laughed, talked, and enjoyed our time together. After lunch I sat quietly in my study reflecting on the week before their births. I thought back to the swell of my tummy, […]