Clarksville, TN – In the winter of 2006–7, while in the middle of a divorce, I plummeted into a mental state unlike anything I’ve experienced before or since. This was not simply a case of the blues. I lost all interest in the activities that constituted life: people, writing, my job, food, recreation, and daily rituals like grocery shopping.
The moment I woke, I longed for bedtime—for escape—and yet I couldn’t sleep. Nausea, confusion, and exhaustion plagued me. Smiling was impossible in the face of intolerable sadness. Pulling myself out of bed each morning was torment. «Read the rest of this article»
Many of us spent our youth either trying to coerce our ringlets into straight locks or torching our straight hair with curling devices, only to discover later in life that we love our hair. I didn’t make friends with my own curls until my thirties. Finally, I appreciated my hair and wanted to treat it with kindness.
After a bit of research, I stumbled on the “no-poo” method of hair care. Yes, it’s a ridiculous name, but it simply refers to a hair care system that involves no shampoo—i.e., no ‘poo. «Read the rest of this article»

Abraham
Clarksville, TN – There’s nothing quite like learning to trust God one day at a time, especially when you’re naturally an organized, plan-ahead person. Because God wants to teach us the lesson of trust, He’ll take us through seasons that seem risky, illogical, frightening, or just plain grueling—seasons during which we can do little but rely on Him moment by moment.
This is what He did to Abraham when He told the patriarch to pack his luggage, pull up stakes, and start walking. He didn’t say where Abraham was to go. He didn’t give any specifics whatsoever. Yet we read that “Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going” (Heb. 11:8, NIV). «Read the rest of this article»

Female Runners
Clarksville, TN – If your list of resolutions this year includes taking up running—and if you’re a woman—you should know this up front: for every female runner, there are half a dozen naysayers with an arsenal of reasons why she should stop.
This is especially true for the middle-aged runner. I was reminded of this phenomenon last month at a local gym when I had one of those experiences that leaves a person slack-jawed and wondering, “Did that just happen?” «Read the rest of this article»