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‘Twas the Night before Christmas Room
‘Twas the Night before Christmas Room and all through the Center Were busy preparations for the clients who would enter. The Bridgehaven volunteers had been stocking and sorting, And stacking and moving, endless boxes,...

Grace and Gratitude
It’s become commonplace to see cliché sayings about thanksgiving and a grateful heart this time of year leading up to Thanksgiving celebrations. As these banners become more and more fluid in our worlds, it’s easy to brush them off, put them off for later, or we may...

Created for Relationship
I have been reflecting a lot recently and have come to an even deeper realization of how much we need each other in this world. In my professional life, my personal life, and just witnessing the needs of those around me in our community, it is abundantly clear to me...

Welcome, Joan!
Hello Bridgehaven community – First, I want to thank you for the many warm welcomes that I have received from staff, volunteers, board members, and supporters of Bridgehaven as I've started my new role as Development Director! I can, beyond a doubt, feel the presence...

How’s Your Posture?
It is so sweet (and luxurious) to spend time in prayer each morning at Bridgehaven as we offer God the first fruits of our day. Last week I snapped this picture and thought how delighted our Heavenly Father must be when we gather together with open (sometimes digital)...

Uncovering What is Hidden
This past weekend, we hosted our seventh Take Courage Abortion Recovery Retreat. We met seven courageous women eagerly seeking a deeper healing and truth. But two of these women weren’t sure why they were there, noting their attendance was a sheer act of obedience....

They Matter
Loss. Grief. Mourning. Sorrow. These are some topics that are challenging for me to talk about, to share in with others, to even think about at times. I don’t think I’m alone in this. But these are some of the most important issues to enter into with one another, no...

Thankfulness & Creativity
I’ve set time aside to seek the Lord heartily on a matter this week. I have the honor of speaking at a local artist retreat this weekend to encourage others to explore more of their creative design. I love and seek after diversity and to see people learning about...

Deciding Who They Are
I was passively listening to an interview with Demi Moore on Good Morning America this week and something I heard has been lingering in my thoughts: “...when you decide who someone is, you take away the opportunity for them to be anything else." I did a quick...

Where is my God?
My heart has been heavy lately. This year had already been marked by personal loss, and this past month I’ve watched and walked with people I love and care about as they walk through losses of their own. And it feels like these losses just keep coming, piling one on...

Love Deeply
One may take a look at this picture and glance over it. What do you see? On its surface, it’s a picture of three of my staff members one evening after a long day of learning at Care Net’s annual conference. They’re just hanging out in a hotel room, doing...

One Step at a Time
I have the privilege and honor of getting to be a listening ear and a compassionate presence for many of the clients who come through our doors every day. I have been allowed to be a part of intimate parts of their lives, and I am grateful to have their...

#MommiesCanGraduate Too!
The 2019-2020 school year has kicked off, and we again have the beautiful opportunity to provide hope and encouragement for a good future for families through a scholarship from a Kirkwood foundation. During the summer, I met with several women who are...

Through the Storm
As I write this, there is a violent storm flashing and thundering and cracking outside my window. It is before dawn, so the sky illuminates the landscape in shadows each time lightning breaks through the darkness. The boisterous thunder shakes the ground...

In the Morning When I Rise Give Me . . . . Self or Jesus?
“Long ago I came to the total assurance that God loves me, God knows where I am every second of every day, and God is bigger than any problem life’s circumstances can throw at me.”~ Charles Stanley My hand gripped the handle of the gray door and part of...

A Second Chance
Greetings!Many of you know we launched a new program called Abortion Pill Reversal in June. This is an awesome opportunity to give women a second chance when regretting the start of a chemical abortion.For more information on this service, please visit our...

How Well Do You Listen?
Over the past few weeks, Dawn (Director of Client Support) and I have been facilitating a client advocate and mentor training. We use curriculum called Compassion, Hope, and Help made by our national affiliate, Care Net. This training is done over the course of eight...

He Invites Us to Take the Stairs
I have been asked two questions this week that I will, in turn, ask you: Who do you believe God has created you to be? How does God see you and how do you see yourself? My wise counselor friend had me draw a frame, and inside the frame she asked me to...

True Freedom
Happy Birthday America! This day has always been a party. The cookouts, city-wide activities, and of course the beautiful firework displays. These celebrations bear fruit of the freedom we as Americans have been gifted. As I reflect on my own celebrations...

Becoming Different
Change: to make or become different. Typically, I like everything to remain as consistent and stable as possible with minimal interruptions (or change) when something works well. But I have come to see in these past couple months some up close examples of how not all...

Through the Muddy Waters
“I’m convinced You can do anything and everything.Nothing and no one can upset Your plans.You asked, ‘Who is muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issues, second- guessing My purposes?’I admit it. I was the one.I babbled on about things beyond me,...

God’s Not a Policeman
I was up early and feeling very pleased with myself that I didn’t hit the snooze button even once. I had time to sit and have coffee and devotion time with the Lord. And then I did other responsible things, too: I emptied the dishwasher and packed my...

See You Later
It’s not goodbye; it is see you later. My sister taught me that. Her husband serves in the Air Force so they move frequently and it is hard. To make it easier, they never say goodbye. See you later is much more casual, and the implication is there is a...

The Gift of Intentionality
You know that feeling? When you are sitting across from someone (a family member, close friend, even someone you met recently) having a conversation together, and you are overcome with a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose because you are reminded that...

Through the Doors
Fear paved my way to Bridgehaven. I know that sounds weird, but it’s true. The first time I walked through these doors, I was just plain scared. I was 17 weeks pregnant and across the country from everything and everyone familiar. At first, I came here...

Seeking Abundant Life
Bridgehaven is often synonymous with pregnant ladies and babies. Don’t get me wrong….we love both around here. There is nothing better than equipping women to be moms or snuggling newborn babies, but our purpose is so much bigger. The mission of Bridgehaven is to...

For You, Our Faithful Volunteers
The volunteers at Bridgehaven fill my heart. Because of what they give and how faithfully they serve our ministry every day, my heart cannot help but overflow with gratitude and wonder. I desire, more than anything, for each of our volunteers to experience God through...

The Adventure of Fulfillment
“I’m young but not so young… I’m at that place in life when wisdom, youth and experience meet… youth is put off with youthful beauty and replaced with wisdom wrought through experience… there is a different kind of beauty in that too. A type of beauty that...

“Between the Already and Not Yet”
I find myself in this middle ground. Lately, I could even describe it as an island between two looming continents. I’m torn, daily, about which direction to go. In one direction, 180 miles away, is my daughter who recently delivered twin baby girls five...

Life Lessons From a Fourth Grade Field Trip
Chaperoning your child’s school trip feels like a rite of passage, an experience every parent should volunteer for at least once. It grounds you, gives perspective, and, in my case, makes you very thankful for those who chose to be fourth grade teachers....

Take Courage
Last week, Haley encouraged us all to run towards those who need help. I don’t know about you but I’m not sure that is always my natural inclination. I think it is even more difficult when those who need help are strangers. In the big, scary world we live...

Run Toward Others
There have been quite a few circumstances which have arisen lately I want to say to God, “oh no, Lord, you don’t want me to be the one to do this.” Or, “shoot God, I think you meant to have someone else more equipped doing this.” Or even, “okay Lord, I...

Worth the Wait
“Is it ever too late to start over?” This is a question I ask my students often. I ask it when we are talking about drugs, porn, and setting boundaries for physical intimacy in relationships. I love to tell them, “As long as you still have a heart beating in your...

Spread Kindness
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. –Col.3:12 Kindness is a word that is overused. We are familiar with a random act of kindness and that has somewhat...

Three Little Words
He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me! If a girl tells you she never plucked the petals from a flower with a wish in her heart, while repeating these words- she’s lying. There was a time when my heart fluttered at the notion of hope in a little flower...

New Beginnings
Wow. January was quite a busy month for me! Full of lots of change, new beginnings, and learning the meaning of words I have never heard in my life. I bought a condo, the process started December 29, and I closed on it January 31. Talk about a huge, crazy...

EWYL Update: Marriage Empowerment Event
"For wives, this means being devoted to your husbands like you are tenderly devoted to our Lord, for the husband provides leadership for the wife, just as Christ provides leadership for his church, as the Savior and Reviver of the body. In the same way the...

You Can Learn A Lot From A Fourth Grader
Anyone else worn out from the holidays? Not from the holiness of the holidays- the miracle of the Messiah, the wonder of the Wise Men and their gifts, the sovereignty of the star placed above our Savior’s crèche—no, never tired of that. But so worn out...

5 Rules to Being a Godly Man
There has been much talk this week about men…..everyone has their own ideas about how men should act, including a certain razor brand. As the mom of a teenage boy, I am always thinking about the man I want my son to grow to be. It’s a crazy world and boys...

To Him Who is Able
It’s not very often I am left speechless, but that’s exactly what happened as I listened on the other end of the line to my Development Director reporting a rich blessing bestowed upon Bridgehaven this Christmas season. In an instant, my fears and worries,...

I Don’t Want to Go
I’ve always had to find “my spot” anywhere I have lived. At my parents, it’s an old recliner looking over the living room. In Cedar Falls, it’s a coffee shop filled with college students working on homework, building relationships with each other, and, of...

The Weary World Rejoices
To be honest, I haven’t felt very jolly this month. My heart has been broken a lot. As I drive to various community organizations to lead groups and educate women, I pass by colorful Christmas lights and smiling yard inflatables of Rudolph, and the...

Unplanned for Us, Planned by God
“…God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is...

To Our Monthly Donors: Thank You
My heart is full of thankfulness today. As the financial assistant at Bridgehaven, part of my job is to process all of the monetary gifts that we receive to support our ministry. As I do this, I encounter many names (maybe yours!) that are very familiar to...

100 Ways
A couple days ago during our staff prayer time here at Bridgehaven, one of our staff members handed out a blank list to all of us with the title, “Ways I have seen God work”. The list had 100 different lines numbered on it, and we were challenged during...

An Open Letter to a Birth Mother
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 You and I have never met. There’s a good chance you’re not aware that I exist. But you changed my...

A Reason to Hope
Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! Psalm 42:11 We have so many reasons to feel hopeless. To feel deep discouragement and a sad heart. The finalization of a divorce that wasn’t wanted, a devastating diagnosis for a...

Serenity
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. I have this prayer sitting on a card in my room, and I glance at it almost every day. Sometimes, when I glance at...

Letting Go of the Planner
Do you love new things? Do you like change? If you answered yes, we can’t be friends unless you are talking about new planners or new jeans. Not shopping for jeans, just the actual having of a great-fitting pair of jeans. Anyway, new things are scary and...
Chasing “Normal”
It’s the time of year mothers around the country are exhaling a collective sigh of relief. Summer is over and school is back in session. We are getting back into the swing of things with our schedules and disciplines. As we strive for a feeling normalcy,...

Facing the Impossible
Sometimes, we face seemingly impossible situations. We come face to face with something we didn’t plan for, we didn’t necessarily desire, or didn’t feel like we could handle. At times, our mind and heart take us through every emotion, and other times, we...

Radical Love
September 1, 2018. A day in my heart that symbolizes a harvest of love. The sealing ceremony of covenant between my brother and his bride. The celebrative and hope-filled agreement and future between two families. Can you not discern this new day of...

The Miracle of Shutting Up
“Frankly, there isn’t anyone you couldn’t learn to love once you’ve heard their story.” – Andrew Stanton So much of my job is spent in a state of utter helplessness, because so much of my job is spent in conversation with people. People are difficult....
Adjust Your Sails
We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails. I was always the crew. I’ve been the crew since I was about 5 or so years old and my Grandpa Rudy put me in a sailboat with Andi, my 7-year-old cousin. My illustrious sailing career started the moment...

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
Tuesday morning. I was not expecting the news, the result of weeks of praying and searching. I was not expecting the deep sadness that followed. Mollie Tibbetts, the third beautiful life lost in our state in such a short time. Sadie Alvarado, Jake Wilson,...

Navigating Difficult Conversation
A couple weeks ago, the leadership team from Bridgehaven attended a simulcast of the Global Leadership Summit. We heard from some amazing speakers and leaders in our world today. The topics were thought-provoking and even convicting on a personal level....

Finding Contentment
Imagine with me. You see a little girl, possibly just six years old. She has long, blonde hair pulled into tight ringlets. She’s wearing a little dress that has just the right amount of poofiness, with a pair of white pumps, perfect for going to church....

Dance Before the Lord
Dance like no one is watching (even though the whole world is watching via Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat…) This is Havi. She is barely two. She has no idea that she has just danced before the world. No inhibitions. Just the admiration of her parents, a...

High School Wishes
I’m really not sure how I got to this point. When I say it feels like I was just dropping him off at kindergarten, I absolutely mean it. But here we are…..I am looking up at my strawberry blonde soon-to-be freshman wondering if he will behave in high...

Think About These Things
Some mornings for me are harder than others. Some mornings, or should I say very few mornings, I wake up feeling energized and ready. But most times I argue with God about getting out of bed, and He lovingly reminds me of His mercy and the new things He...

Being Stretched
As I was growing up, I always dreamed of being a teacher. Just like my mom. I saw and heard stories of how she impacted people’s lives every day, how she inspired youth, and how she was filled to the brim with passion for seeing others succeed. I thought,...

I’m Not Enough (And Neither Are You)
A couple weeks ago, my little girl walked up to a mannequin in the men’s department at Younkers, threw her arms around its legs, and smiled up at me. “Look! It’s my daddy! Is it my daddy?” she asked. I froze. My heart shriveled in fear as I stood looking...

God is a Baseball Guy
If your summer is anything like mine, the tops of your legs are sunburned and you probably should have invested in stock for Fels-Naptha. For those of you who do not know what in the world I am talking about, you are most likely not a baseball mom....

A Father’s Heart
I highly doubt my husband and I are going to be awarded medals any time soon for our efforts in parenting. In fact, we are constantly learning what not to do and reflecting upon how we handled things and how we might “do better next time.” Yet, there are...

The Picture On My Wall
Yesterday morning in our staff prayer time at Bridgehaven, Rachel Pheasant, our Marketing Coordinator, shared a very touching and convicting blog she wrote a few years back about an experience she had during a trip to Rwanda. It sparked great conversation...

Brave Parenting
“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace…” – 1 Corinthians 14:33 We recently held our first Empowerment Event in Client Support for all Earn While You Learn (EWYL) clients. “Brave Parenting: love them enough to do the hard things” was the topic and...

The Battle for “Those Young People”
Every few years this very old, very dear book, It’s Me, O Lord , wanders off my bookshelf and drops into my hands, usually at a time when I need to be reminded not to take myself too seriously. In one of her poems, “Too Old to Run,” author Anne...

Be Strong and Courageous
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. –Joshua 1:9 We did it. We planned, prepared and executed another annual gala. But somehow, it was different. It had a new...

The Master Gardener
Man. Don’t we all just get caught up from time to time in plans we create in our minds? Plans we create because we don’t think something is moving fast enough. We want it to look a certain way. We think it will give us a greater sense of peace. Or when we...
Joyful Honor
"So joyfully welcome him in the Lord and make sure you honor such people highly." -Philippians 2:29 Honor: admire, give special recognition, hold in high esteem, respect, privilege, fulfill or keep in agreement. Joy: a feeling of great happiness or...

I Choose Joy
I know something about you. Yes, you. Regardless of your marital status, age, ethnicity, gender, income, beliefs, height, or weight– I can tell you with certainty we have something big in common. We both want to be happy. I know this because it is a...

He Equips the Called
“The Lord doesn’t call the equipped – He equips the called.” Jacob was a liar, David was a murderer, Elijah was suicidal, Rahab was a prostitute, and Peter denied Christ. Despite their failures, wrongdoings, and flaws, they all aided God in different ways....

Push Back with Hope
I consider myself a glass-half-full kind of gal. But I will tell ya’, there are things of this world that really get me down or bring me to a dark place of discouragement and hopelessness. As I write this, I am attending the MLK50 Conference streaming live...

Have Mercy On Me
“What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” (Matthew 26:15) For the times I handed You over, Lord, for popularity and acceptance, have mercy on me. For the times I handed You over, Lord, for comfort and ease, have mercy on me. For the...

Come to the Table
Easter is such an amazing and anointed time to testify the goodness and consuming love of Jesus, the victory of the cross, the gift of forgiveness, the tearing of the veil, and friendship accessibility we have with our Redeemer! May we make and take...
Peer-to-Peer Mentors: Where Are They Now?
…That time when I took eight high school students to Washington, D.C. for a week to lobby for sexual health education on Capitol Hill! This little gem popped up on my Facebook memories feed and brought back some great memories. In 2009, I was privileged...
Pants
I called her Pants. She called herself Cool Aunt Nancy. Others called her sister, friend and mom. She was a wife and a grandma. She was one of the most awesome people I have ever met, and I was so blessed to have her in my life. As she was leaving...

What Your Wilderness?
As the Israelites journeyed through the wilderness in the book of Exodus, there’s this constant cycle and theme of God’s provision, a restlessness from the Israelites leading to grumbling, fear, and self-reliance. God hears their grumbling and again...

Learning to be Vulnerable
“Every time we are introduced to someone new, try to be creative or start a difficult conversation, we take a risk. We feel uncertain and exposed. We feel vulnerable. Most of us try to fight those feelings – we strive to appear perfect…when we shut...

Focus: Church Engagement and Kingdom Building
At the 2015 Care Net conference, Roland Warren, President of Care Net, shared with us and other pregnancy support centers from around the country that God had given him a vision. That vision was to see pregnancy support centers re-evaluate and incorporate...

An Open Letter
To the girl facing an unplanned pregnancy: The last thing I wanted was to be pregnant. As I sat in the counseling room at Bridgehaven, I had no idea what was in store for my future. All I knew was I was alone. The father of my baby was not involved, I was...

He Knows My Name
To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. John 10:3. Over the holidays, we were delighted to spend some time in Indianapolis with five of our six grandchildren. This year, my husband,...